Sunday, December 15, 2013

The Ripple Effect of Free Will

It was explained to me again recently why each soul will be judged twice by God.  The first judgement happens upon death and determines whether the soul is destined for Heaven (even if time spent in Purgatory precedes it) or Hell.

The second judgement for each soul cannot happen until the end of this world and it determines one's placement within Heaven.  This is because all of time must play out so that we can see the effect of our sins upon this earth.  How our sins affected the thoughts and lives of those we encountered truly shapes how history will be written. 

The reason for this is because God, in His deep love for us, has given us free will.  We have the ability to choose--or to not choose--to follow Him, both in big decisions and little decisions throughout the day.



I never truly thought about the ripple effect of unintended consequences from my sinful actions and how they can affect the free will choices of the people that surround me, which, in turn, affects the choices of those they encounter.

But I have pondered it now.  And I want to try to be better at making sure all the ripples I cause are for the good.

Thank you, Jesus, for both the blessing and the responsibility of having free will.