The Law of Unintended Consequences

(Proverbs 12:6 KJV)  The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood: but the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.

How do your “words” (1697) effect others?  Today I want to focus on unintended consequences.  We see the Law of Unintended Consequences in application all around us.  One good example was the War on Poverty unleashed by Lyndon B. Johnson.  The purpose was to destroy poverty and bring the poor into the mainstream.  That was a worthy goal.  The means was lots of government money applied with no moral standards.

What were the results?  After billions of dollars, poverty still seems to be winning.  In addition we have destroyed the family unit in black American families.  When this war began 80% of black children were born into intact families.  Fifty years later 80% are born out of wedlock. 

If you judge by the results, intended or otherwise, it would seem that the proposal was a case of “wicked” (7563) “words” (1697).  Have we changed our approach?  No we just keep doing the same things.

So?  You can’t change government policy by yourself but you can see the failure and apply it in how you treat your family and friends.  Beware of the wicked with good intentions.