Don’t Be Weary in Well-Doing: Why Your Actions Matter

Does it make any difference?

That question can haunt us. We act and see no effect. A smile casts another’s way and gets acknowledged and lost in time. Does it make a difference? You engage in conversation. It seems idle and people part and the words vanish like coffee steam.

A few years ago, I went to my regular dermatologist visit. She scoured my face and body for signs of disease and damage.

Then, she opened the cabinet and took out what disguised itself as compressed air. She aimed and…fired. The liquid nitrogen stinger bit my skin, leaving a red whelp.

Since then, the sadistic ritual repeats itself and even resulted in a scalpel peeling open my face.

There’s a reason for it.

On that first visit, the doctor commented, “What you see now is damage caused 20 years ago.” Who knew that lazy day in the pool with my kids would come back to haunt me? Or the pink skin caused by mowing, fishing, or golfing? After all, I grew up in a time when the maxim was, “You have to burn to tan.”

It’s a stark reminder that what we do today may not manifest its effects until much later down the line. Twenty years ago, the decisions I made about my skincare routine seemed inconsequential. Yet here I am, faced with the tangible aftermath of those choices.

How often do we overlook the long-term implications of our actions because we don’t see immediate results? In a “right-now” world, we don’t see beyond the moment.  But reality has a way of catching up with us, often when we least expect it.

As my skin bears the marks of decisions made two decades ago, so too does our future self bear the consequences of our present actions. Will we emerge stronger or weaker? Will we be wiser or less knowledgeable? Will our spiritual selves flourish or wither away?

The seeds we plant today will blossom into tomorrow’s realities. Whether conscious of it or not, every choice we make shapes the trajectory of our lives. The thought both stuns us and empowers us. We can influence our lives and the lives of others by small and insignificant actions.

The obstacle is our thinking.  “It doesn’t do any good” are the words uttered by tired and overlooked.

Paul knew it.

He spread the greatest news of all time but suffered beatings, stoned, and ran out of many towns. I imagine him thinking in quiet moments, “Why do I keep doing it?”

In those moments, he reminded both himself and us of the never-changing truth.

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:7–9, ESV)

So, as we navigate life, remember the season will come when good or bad decisions come to light. Strive to choose what aligns with our values and aspirations, rather than succumbing to the immediate. Never underestimate the ripple effects of our decisions. What we do today will shape who we become tomorrow.

Ultimately, it all boils down to a simple yet profound question: What kind of person do you want to be twenty years from now? The answer lies in the choices you make today. Choose wisely.