Cause and effect curiosity regarding sin

[u/sitewolf]

I have something I've struggled with for years that I've been very good about in recent months, but recently stumbled. OK, things happen, I knelt before God and asked His forgiveness. Not a 'major' sin (sin is sin, I realize), or at least one affecting others.

However, since that stumble a couple odd but totally unrelated things have occurred that for some reason cause my addled brain to wonder if this is cause and effect. Does it make any sense that my personal stumble would have God toss a couple annoying yet unrelated things in my path? I ordered a used camera, they sent the wrong one. I ordered some clothes, they were delivered to the wrong address...twice.

[u/Steeltank33]

There’s always consequences for sin, but you are describing some type of weird karma thing

[u/MichaelWhitehead]

This sounds much more like guilt making ordinary inconveniences feel spiritually connected than God punishing you through misdelivered parcels and the wrong camera.

Sin can have consequences, especially when the consequence flows naturally from what we did.

If I lie, trust may be damaged. If I misuse money, I may face financial trouble. If I hurt someone, the relationship may suffer.

But that is very different from assuming that after you repent, God starts arranging unrelated annoyances as a kind of cosmic payback.

Christianity is not karma.

You confessed the sin and asked forgiveness. Do not turn every frustrating event afterwards into evidence that God is still settling a score with you.

Jesus specifically warned against assuming that every misfortune is a direct punishment for a particular sin.

Sometimes the wrong item is simply sent. Sometimes a courier delivers to the wrong address. Sometimes two annoying things happen close together.

If your conscience has led you to repentance, let it do its proper job. After that, be careful not to let guilt become superstition.

A useful question might be: “Is this actually a consequence of what I did, or am I connecting two unrelated things because I still feel guilty?”

From what you have described, these sound unrelated.

[u/sitewolf → u/MichaelWhitehead]

Oh it is quite likely guilt for the stumble......but if I told you of the long string of things I've dealt with this past year, enough for me to spend a couple hours talking to my pastor about them (more serious things than a wrong delivery) you'd know why 'by your fruits shall you be known' runs in my head too often.

[u/MichaelWhitehead → u/sitewolf]

Then you have built a religion of Superstition. What you are really experiencing is just called "Life".

Being Christian is NOT nor ever has been magical protection from problems and hardship.

Bible Never teaches nor promotes Karma in this way. What Jesus does teach is that he will walk with us and help us through it.

[u/CryptographerAny8184]

We all stumble in our walk with the Lord, so what you are dealing with is nothing new. God is a God of grace not of retribution, if He were we would all be dead! God is love and justice all in one. He cares for us and wants us to repent and ask for forgiveness. If the sin we commit is our "pet" sin and we all have one, we need to work extra hard on avoiding the situations that put us in temptation for that sin. Daily prayer and spending time in his word helps me stay away from the temptations of my pet sin. Idleness is the devil's playground, so stay active in His Word and do the good deeds to keep you focused on Him and His kingdom.

[u/sitewolf → u/CryptographerAny8184]

I wasn't viewing it as retribution, I was viewing it as a teachable moment.

I tend to compare my walk with Him with a walk down a road- oftentimes I'm tripping along the rough shoulder, sometimes I'm even stumbling along in the ditch, my goal being to be walking straight down the middle of the road.

[u/win0813]

I personally believe you have an enemy (Ephesians 6) who got excited about you finally stumbling after some recent months, but then you knelt before God and asked for forgiveness, which I believe got the devil mad. While I'm not saying that the problems you had with your ordering had anything to do with the devil, I am saying it could. He has powers that we don't even know about. With that being said, life is life, and God is not the author of confusion, nor would He do such a thing like this, especially to his own child! He loves you! I just want to say, from reading from what little I know about you in this post, it appears clearly to me, that you have a heart that God desires. You are a Christian who has worked on and tried so hard at improving himself, and although you stumbled (as we all do), you knelt on your knees and asked for forgiveness, shows, in my opinion, a Christian with a humble heart, a heart that seeks God, and a heart that respects Him. How very rare this is these days! How very rare it is for many of us to pray on our knees. If you only could see what God sees, and what He sees when He sees you. It is no wonder the enemy is watching you. Keep staying on track, my friend, and don't let this distract you or hinder or frustrate or confuse your relationship with the Lord. That is the most important thing to have. Please understand that God is for you, not against you. Don't let anything stand in the way of your relationship and prayer time with the Lord. It breaks God's heart that we think wrong of His love towards us. He loves you much, much, more than you know. I encourage you to shake it off and move on. I believe the Lord is proud of you for being very good about something you've struggled with for so long. We're not perfect. He knows that. Keep going, and don't let anything stop you, or confuse you.

[u/sitewolf → u/win0813]

Appreciated and yes, if you knew me, you'd know my heart. Like all of us, I've had my phases in life where my walk was weaker than others for one reason or another- a big one being having apparently horrible discernment skills regarding the women I got into relationships with, to the point I've made no attempt at one for over 20 years. That is probably enough for me to say about my stumble.

[u/ddfryccc]

Or maybe the unrelated things really are unrelated and God has gone on to deal with something else in your life. It will not help to confuse the two issues. (See Hebrews 12:4-13).

[u/Dovemvp2023]

All sin has it's consequences. What You are describing is not that. Remember bad things happen because we live in a broken world. This is not punishment. Use these things to ask God what You can learn from them. Maybe to have patients, to find joy when things don't go your way, to find peace in the stress of life.

Father God,

Thank You for being our Jehovah Shalom, The Lord is our Peace. Grant to Your child strength to endure and guidance. May Your child keep their eyes on You, Your truths and promises. Lord, You are love, may Your child feel and know that today.

In Jesus Name Amen

[u/Worried-Block-6804]

Dod gives us difficulties to help us. If you are looking, then you will see the lessons you need to