On my way to the Rams game, I exited the freeway and noticed a dead raccoon on the shoulder of the off-ramp. He—or she—was mostly intact. A little blood. Completely motionless. Dead as Good Friday.
I know what you’re thinking: Why on earth, John, are we talking about roadkill?
Let me explain.
Next to our fallen furry friend sat discarded trash—one bag ripped open, another still intact. It didn’t take much imagination to connect the dots. Someone tossed their trash out the window without a second thought, and Rocky the Raccoon paid the price.
Let’s pause on that for a moment on the action.
#1: WTF?
#2: Who did they think was going to deal with that trash?
#3 Did they consider—at all—the outcome of throwing it right there?
I doubt there was any thinking involved at all. And that’s the point.
What that person didn’t consider was that one of God’s small creatures, doing exactly what it was designed to do, would find that trash—right there in the road—and bam. Off to heaven.
This is cause and effect, playing out in real time.
Do we really think through our actions—even the small ones? The ones we excuse as “no big deal”? I believe deeply in the butterfly effect: whatever energy or action we toss into the universe, the universe delivers somewhere else.
I try to be mindful. And I still fall short. Little lies. Gossip. Cutting corners. Doing less than I’m capable of. Someone, somewhere, absorbs the impact of our behavior—and often, over time, that someone is us.
So the question becomes: What is my integrity?
And better yet: What is my integrity with God?
The word integrity comes from the Latin integer, meaning whole, complete, untouched. When I look at the root of that word, I can’t help but see holy. And by that standard, I miss the mark more often than I’d like.
Because of that, I try to practice slowing down—placing my intentions before God, playing the tape forward, and acting in alignment with His will.
Aligning our thoughts and actions with God’s will should be the litmus test for both the small things and the big ones.
So back to the raccoon.
Did the person who threw that trash say, “You know what, I think I’ll kill a raccoon today”? Of course not. Their intention wasn’t harm—but harm was still done.
And that’s the lesson:
Unexamined actions still carry consequences.
Even the ones we call insignificant.
Scripture
“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”
— Galatians 6:7
Closing Prayer
Loving God, slow me down enough to see the weight of my actions before they leave my hands. Align my thoughts, words, and behaviors with Your will, especially in the small things I’m tempted to dismiss. Let me live whole, with integrity before You, and mindful of how my life touches the world around me. Amen.
