Short Term / Long Term

We're having a really warm Winter this year, it's been in the 40's & for Michigan, that's unusual. Yeah, we have snow on the ground now & a little more in the forecast for this weekend but for the most part, it's been rather pathetic & if we don't get some major snow soon & often before Spring, we're going to pay for it.

I remember about 6 -7 years ago we had this same cycle of weather, I went to a Midnight Candlelight Christmas Eve Service & it was warm & dry, it felt nothing like Christmas & for about a month most everyone on Facebook was raving about the weather, they didn't want any part of snow.

Well, I'm a Winter lover & that didn't go over too well w/ me but it wasn't just their selfish attitude & preference, it was their short-sightedness that bothered me & the fact they simply weren't thinking long-term:

Warm weather severely impacts the local snow-plow business; no snow = no work = no income. Many of these snow-plow business owners were Christians from several different fellowships in the area & lack of business impacts their giving which in turn impacts their fellowships & not only them but also affects both the local food banks & missionaries around the world that their fellowships support.

I live in a huge fruit-belt community & the melting snow in the Spring helps keep the ground moist & fertile which helps produce a better crop which keeps the price down (or at least reasonable). Without a good Winter, the ground is dry & has to be watered (think massive water bills) or the crop is not as bountiful & therefore the price of produce skyrockets to compensate & then people complain that the prices are so high.

We live in a society that tends to think short-term & how it affects "me" right now & rarely do we think long-term & how it will affect the next generation. This not only applies to our preferences for or against snow in Winter but also to:

• choices in food (junk vs healthy)
• treatment of people (respectful vs disrespectful)
• political issues (moral vs immoral)

What happens (or doesn't happen) now affects the future. Is your comfort or preference right now worth the result you'll see six months from now? A year from now? Two years from now?

Something to think about...