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PITFALLS ON THE PATH OF LIFE:
II-5. LACK OF LOGIC
(Prov. 9:9-10; Prov. 16:21-23)

There aren't many sermons on logic. There aren't many college
classes on logic. In fact, there aren't even many friendly
conversations about logic. But logic means the science of
correct reasoning. What could be more important than that.
Isaiah said, "Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD .
. ." (Isa. 1:18a).

A guidepost writer said, "On the grounds of a famous Japanese
shrine in Kyoto, there is a spot that features three waterfalls.
They represent wisdom, health, and longevity. Visitors who pass
beneath the falls are invited to choose which of the blessings
they want for their lives by placing their hands under the
appropriate falls. But according to tradition, a person can
choose only one.

Which of the three would you choose? After some soul-searching,
I selected health, reasoning that without it longevity would be
tainted and with it one would be free to pursue wisdom. But my
wife picked wisdom because she believed longevity would be
hollow without it and that wisdom would enable us to practice
healthful habits."

Solomon expressed it this way. "How much better it is to get
wisdom than gold! And to get understanding is to be chosen above
silver" (Prov. 16:16).

Jesus advocated the use of logic. One day he asked his
audience, "Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Will he
not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough
money to complete it? For if he lays the foundation and is not
able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule him,
saying, `This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
"Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king.
Will he not first sit down and consider whether he is able with
ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with
twenty thousand? If he is not able, he will send a delegation
while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms
of peace" (Luke 14:28-32).

We lack logic because of distorted perception, absolutism and
grandiosity.

I. DISTORTED PERCEPTION

First, we have distorted perception. We correlate events that
have no logical connection. This leads to superstition. We
believe in luck and chance. We rationalize to reach the
conclusion we want to reach. We twist information. We forget
certain facts. We make assumptions and come to illogical
conclusions.

Sometimes we major on minors and minor on majors. We emphasize
a detail and overlook the core concept.

When Orville and Wilbur Wright made history by keeping their
flying invention in the air for a total of fifty-nine seconds,
they rushed to the telegraph office and wired their sister in
Dayton, Ohio. "First sustained flight today for fifty-nine
seconds," the message read. Hope to be home by Christmas."
Their sister was thrilled and hurried to the local newspaper
with the great news and the telegram. Sure enough, the next day
an article about the Wrights appeared in the paper. The
headline, however, read: LOCAL BICYCLE MERCHANTS TO BE HOME FOR
THE HOLIDAYS.

The editor had totally missed the point-concerning one of the
most important moments in aviation history! He zeroed in on a
trivial detail and overlooked the main message. His perception
was distorted.

Solomon criticized such thinking, saying, "One of perverse mind
will be despised" (Prov. 12:8b).

Jesus avoided distortions. He said, "You will know the truth,
and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32).

II. ABSOLUTISM

Next, we think in absolutes. Many of us divide the good and the
bad in ourselves and others by splitting. As children, we fear
the anger we sometimes feel toward our mother; but if the women
we hate and the woman we love can be seen as two different
women, then it's okay to hate one of them.

In our immature state, we can't handle the strange concept that
those who are good can sometimes also be bad. If we hold on to
absolutisms as adults, we'll see people as either all good or
all bad. We'll see actions as either absolutely right or
absolutely wrong and we'll fail to achieve a balance.

Many adults never stop splitting. They live in a rigid world of
black or white categories. They alternate between excessive
love and excessive hatred. They may idealize their friends and
lovers. But, then, when these individuals behave like normal
flawed human beings, they totally reject them. They say, "You
aren't perfect, so you are no good!"

We must learn how to live with ambivalence. Jesus could say to
Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me;
you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of
men" (Matt. 16:23); and yet say, "I tell you that you are Peter,
and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades
will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom
of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven,
and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matt.
16:18-19). Both of these responses were given on the same day
and recorded only 4 verses apart.

Splitting is done by parents who see one child as "good" and
another as "bad." It's done by lovers whose women are either
"Madonnas" or "prostitutes." It's done by leaders who demand
that you're either completely for me or completely against me."
If we don't overcome absolutism, we'll be moody and inconsistent
in our relationships.

A good/bad, right/wrong, on/off, yes/no universe is reassuring
and simplistic; but it's not realistic. We must recognize that
the unworthy person and the deserving person can both be united
in one individual. Instead of seeing parts of people we must
begin to see the whole. It's possible to have feelings of hate
intermingled with feelings of love. In absolutism, we ignore
the gray areas. We polarize everything into opposites. We
don't consider the situational context. We don't view issues as
relative, even though most choices are between good and better,
or bad and worse. This causes unnecessary guilt.

Absolutism also causes wild pendulum swings as we move from one
extreme to the other; we hit the walls because we don't know how
to draw a reasonable line somewhere in the middle. Stress
increases extremes and it makes a worker work harder; and a
procrastinator delay longer; and an impatient person become more
irritable. If the cycle is left unchecked, addictions and
compulsions will develop. A good rule to follow is: "When under
stress, avoid excess!"

Jesus was not an absolutist. He said, "Give to Caesar what is
Caesar's, and to God what is God's" (Matt. 22:21b).

II. GRANDIOSITY

Finally, we engage in grandiosity. A proverb says, "He who
attempts too much accomplishes little." Some people say, "I
want it all." They don't realize that you can have almost
anything you want; but you can't have everything you want.

This earth has limitations. We can only be one place at a time.
There are only 24 hours in a day. A human only lives a finite
number of years. Solomon advocated a balanced life. He said,
"Don't try to be too right all the time . . . Try to avoid going
too far in doing anything. The man who fears God will avoid all
extremes" (Ecc. 7:16a,18a, Everyday Bible).

Once a woman approached everything with enthusiasm and wild
excitement. One day she came into a nursery and asked advice
about a wonderful new garden she was planning. This "blue
garden" would be striking and different. She dominated the
conversation for an hour about how flowers in shades of blue
would look and what each needed as to sun and shade and moisture
and fertilizer. When she left, someone said, "Man, I want to
see that garden when she's finished." The owner of the nursery,
who knew her well laughed and said, "Finished? My dear, that
woman's potted geraniums died last month because she forgot to
water them."

Too many of us are like that. We start epic productions and
then abandon them. A counselor told of a young married couple
who had terrible problems. They came for therapy, but found
that the work necessary to correct them would be difficult. So
they quit counseling and instead attended a weekend Charismatic
Seminar. They returned reporting that everything between them
was miraculously healed. Within two weeks, however, they were
back angrier than ever. They had presumed that God was going to
fix everything for them; but life isn't like that.

Too often we believe one thing or one person is going to be the
missing piece we need-the once and for all answer to our
problems. This is an unrealistic expectation. Our magical
thinking bypasses common sense. We're always expecting our ship
to come in, even though we haven't sent one out. We're always
going to win the lottery or find the pot of gold. We expect
instantaneous solutions without long-term efforts. We expect
magnanimous bailouts. We indulge in golden fantasies

One woman said, "I've always felt that there is a remote person
somewhere who will do everything for me; someone who will fill
my every need in a fairy like manner and see to it that I am
able to get whatever I want without putting out any effort.

Since we believe "somebody will always take care of me," we are
willing to just let things happen. We must realize that, "If
it's to be, it's up to me!"

Grandiosity also includes idealism. Only great ventures
interest us. Ordinary tasks are dull and boring. An immoral
businessman, once told Mark Twain, "Before I die, I'm going to
make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. I'm going to climb to the
top of Mount Sinai and read the Ten Commandments aloud."

"I have a better idea," said Twain. "Why don't you stay right
here at home and keep them?"

We're too optimistic. We constantly underestimate the amount of
time, energy and resources projects will require.

We're perfectionists. Everything must be flawless. We lose
interest if defects are discovered or if the product doesn't
quite match our imagination. Therefore many things are started
and never finished.

Jesus was a realist. He said, "Be as shrewd as snakes and as
innocent as doves" (Matt. 10:16b).

CONCLUSION:

All living things seek homeostasis. That is, we seek a level,
balanced state in which we need nothing. This motivates
everything we do. When we're cold, we shiver to raise our
temperature. When we're hot, we sweat to lower our temperature.
This same balance is needed in all areas of life; but it's hard
to find and even harder to maintain. We keep seeking more and
more, and it's never enough. Paul said, "Let your moderation be
known unto all men . . ." (Phil. 4:5a, kjv).

We are erratic. We can't discover a middle ground. We bounce
from one extreme to another. We can't set our own limits, so we
push until some disaster stops us. These pendulum swings
determine our course. Moderation is an elusive goal. So we get
on a roller coaster ride of ups and downs. Paul said,
"Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way" (I Cor.
14:40).

Also, we don't understand that life is a package deal. There's
always a liability for every asset and a negative for every
positive. You must buy both sides of the record.

Jesus said, "Small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to
life, and only a few find it" (Matt. 7:14).

In order to find the narrow path that leads to abundant life we
must avoid distorted perception, absolutism and grandiosity.

This is an imperfect world and compromises are necessary.
Finding that middle ground requires logic.

The Scriptures discount delusions. The Lord says, "Do not
listen to what the (false) prophets are prophesying to you; they
fill you with false hopes. They speak visions from their own
minds, not from the mouth of the Lord . . . ." (Jer. 23:16,26).

***

(Word Count 1994)

These messages are from an unpublished manuscript © copyrighted
by Miles and Maralene Wesner, Idabel, OK. Please use them in
any way you think appropriate. The only thing we ask is that
you give credit for original material in published works.

Sermons with the "I" prefix are from our "What's the Good Word"
Series;

II from our "Pitfalls on the Path of Life"

III are sermons for special days and occasions.

Material in our sermons usually present the Gospel from a
psychological point of view.

My ministry has been blessed immeasurably by reading other
people's sermons. When I started preaching 56 years ago, I
waited for "inspiration" (usually Saturday night, about
midnight) before I began my sermon preparation. Then, I
discovered it wasn't inspiration at all-it was sheer PANIC. I
would have welcomed this service.

Comments are always welcome. (Please indicate if you do not want
your comments to appear in New Perspectives).

Miles E Wesner