When you’ve tried something and found it harmful, you can’t undo that experience. The damage is done, and you’ll end up suffering the consequences of your actions.

That is not a popular notion today in a world that is obsessed with finding a quick fix for every problem. Ours is a very shallow world, not prone to giving much thought to the link between problems and their underlying causes.

When you’ve tried something and found it harmful, you can’t undo that experience.

When it comes to problems, few can equal AIDS. It now rivals the most deadly epidemics of all time, taking almost as many victims as the dreaded waves of Black Death—the bubonic plague—that devastated whole continents in past centuries. It’s estimated to have cut down 19 million lives already, with another 35 million infected and given what amounts to a death sentence.

We can learn a great lesson from the AIDS plague. Many tragedies and much suffering can be traced to their source: our own actions and decisions. In a world of freedom of choice, some choices inevitably lead to bad results.

Actions yield consequences. We’ve heard the saying, “You reap what you sow,” but most don’t realize the source of that saying—the Bible (Galatians 6:6-7; compare Job 4:8).

Many centuries ago the Hebrew prophet Hosea looked at the sad spiritual condition of the kingdom of Israel. Idolatry, violence and immorality were commonplace (Hosea 2, 4). Within a few years the mighty Assyrian Empire would sweep in and lay the kingdom waste, slaughtering its citizens and enslaving the survivors.

God revealed to Hosea what was coming—and why. “They sow the wind, and reap the whirlwind,” He said (Hosea 8:7). “You have plowed wickedness; you have reaped iniquity. You have eaten the fruit of lies” (Hosea 10:13). God warned them that they were simply reaping what they had sown. It was inevitable that the people’s sins would catch up with them.

When we look for the major causes of suffering, we often need look no further than ourselves.

When thousands die in great disasters—epidemics, famines, hurricanes, floods—many blame God. Yet, as God told the ancient Israelites, He would bless them with health, favorable weather and abundant crops only if they obeyed Him (Leviticus 26:3-12; Deuteronomy 28:1-14).

Most chose not to obey. That decision affected not only their lives, but the lives of their children, who fell victim to their parents’ foolish choices. The innocent often suffer for the sins of others. That is one of the tragic consequences of wrong choices.

When we analyze suffering, we can learn a great deal if we trace the circumstances back to their cause. Proverbs 22:3 warns us to consider the long-term consequences of our choices: “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.”

When we look for the major causes of suffering, we often need look no further than ourselves. In one way or another, sin is the underlying cause of most suffering.

God has a better way: Learn from the experiences of others. He tells us many of the events described in the Bible were recorded as examples for us (1 Corinthians 10:11), so we can learn the lessons without the painful consequences.

God’s laws—which many dismiss as hopelessly out of date or infringements on their personal freedom—define a path of life that will help us avoid pain and suffering. He gave those laws “that it might be well” with those who keep them (Deuteronomy 5:16, 29, 33; 6:3, 18). God told ancient Israel that if they would obey Him, neighboring nations would admire them for their wisdom and understanding and want to follow their example (Deuteronomy 4:5-8).

We all have a choice. We can obey our Creator and it will “be well” with us, or we can disobey and, as is pointed out in several articles in this issue, reap the sad consequences.

Either way, we reap what we sow.