Collateral damage

In 1945 when the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima, 250,000 people or more died, most of them on the days of the bombing. But included in those 250,000 were 3,200 Japanese-Americans, Allied POW's, Korean and Chinese laborers, exchange-students from Malaya and a host of other unintended victims.
Not only that; it is more than 60 years after the events and Japanese people are still suffering the physical effects of radiation and the emotional effects of their country's destruction. In Hiroshima, in one day, 90% of the doctors and 93% of the nurses were killed. Most of the citizens had nothing to do whatsoever with the decisions being made by their government about the war. They were simply collateral damage.
It is true that we're each judged by our own actions and that before God we have to answer for ourselves and there is no such thing as blaming with him. We are responsible and accountable for our choices. But there is another thing to consider, and that is the far-reaching implications our actions have on others. That is why leaders are always (or should be!) judged more harshly. When you take leadership upon you, you also take responsibility for the outcome, whether it is good or bad.
Robin started reading a book this week about spiritual warfare and he talked to me about it, about the fact that when Christians investigate issues like that, they can expect to deal with some fallout. Satan would take advantage of the situation to attack us. We needed to be prepared for some blows. Was I okay with that, he asked.
We have some dear friends here who are so filled with the Holy Spirit, so overflowing with God's love and his GRACE, in every sense of the word.
But they've been through the fire. They have dealt with the fallout of every right decision they've made.
Am I ready for that kind of thing?
Last night at the girl's bible study I lead, we came up with a question that we couldn't answer. I felt the weight of it on my shoulders last night as I realized that I didn't know what to do, I had no idea, so how could I possibly model it for these girls if I didn't know myself? Are they going to suffer the collateral damage of me never responding to God in that particular area before?
Last week after one too many verbal assaults and behavior issues, I told a patient to pull his socks up. My boss called me the other day and discussed how this same patient has threatened to sue for the way he was treated by the night nurse (me!). Fallout. I wasn't prepared for the repercussions of my sticking-to-my-guns attitude.
I come home and tell Robin about my day, and he tells me about his, and we share them and we share the results (I told him before we were married that I needed to de-brief after work and actually from almost anything I do!) We carry each other's collateral damage, as well as the good things. Shared sorrows are lessened, shared joys are greater.