Thought of the Day 09.26.08

As a persuasive technique, mockery is both effective and dangerous for the same reason: it makes a moderate orientation to something uncomfortable. See, if the mockery is correct, then the thing is so wrong that it’s actually funny, and we laugh to indicate our increased opposition. But if the mockery is unfair or incorrect, then we become angry at the manipulation, and our opposition diminishes or reverses.

Thus, mockery depends upon polarization, which is the exact opposite of peacemaking. And once something has been mocked, it is very difficult to have a real discussion of it because real discussion presupposes the possibility of conversion. And no one wants to be a convert to absurdity.

This is why it is better to say that our opponents are wrong rather than ridiculous. It avoids making it too hard for them to convert to our way of thinking, but it also makes it easier for us should we ever need to admit our own mistakes. In all things, charity.

Thought of the Day 09.25.08

I love my new house. I love my new car. I love watching television and movies. I love wearing nice clothes. I particularly love eating good food. And I love my job and the esteem that it brings. But recently, I’ve been thinking some very troubling thoughts.

When Jesus was in heaven before He came to Earth, He had it all. He had the best of everything, including the pride and dignity of being God. But because Love is more important to Him than all of these things, He gave every single one of them up in order to redeem you and me. He left every comfort one could possibly imagine and sacrificed it all for the sake of acquiring us, a sacrifice made all the more poignant because He fully deserved everything He enjoyed.

How little I must know Him, then, that I am so comfortable enjoying all the things I love about my life while there are others who either do not know Him or else suffer in ways my own trivial sacrifices might remedy.

Thought of the Day 09.24.08

Despite years of begging God to fix me, I still sin. Why? Well, here’s one possibility. Whenever I sin, I feel awful, and my shame reminds me how badly I need the atoning sacrifice of Christ and how I’m no better than anyone else.

Thus, God uses my daily sins to keep me humble. And much as God might keep some people poor to avoid having them destroyed by the greed and selfishness that can come from premature wealth, I believe God allows me to sin to prevent me being destroyed by the pride that can so easily come from premature righteousness.

Greater than all the sins of unrighteousness combined is the sin of the righteous man who forgets his own need for a Savior. Consequently, my great hope is that one day I will be so immune to pride that God will finally be able to trust me with a sinless life. Until then, praise God for protecting me… from myself.

Thought of the Day 09.23.08

At my house, everyone’s been sick in the last week. Not just sniffles and coughs either, but the really unpleasant stuff. But even as I had my sleep interrupted 10 or 15 times last night, I couldn’t stop thinking about how lucky I was. Being sick reminds me of how smoothly my body runs ordinarily. Having sick children reminds me of how grateful I am to have been given such massive blessings in such tiny packages. And not wanting to each anything reminds me of how much I appreciate good food most of the time.

See, here’s the thing for me. No matter what God ever gives me or allows to happen to me, I’m happy. Happy because the one necessary thing He has given me is the knowledge of His Son which brings with it the guarantee of eternal fellowship with Him. And there is literally no amount of suffering that can befall me in this world which could even come close to offsetting that gift.

So anytime I find myself getting down about any of the trivial things I don’t have, I hope I have the presence of mind to remember the one magnificent thing I do have.

Thought of the Day 09.22.08

I love psychology because it helps me understand other people and interact more wisely with them as a result. One key psychological lesson is recognizing the difference between someone who is genuinely attacking you and someone who is actually attacking himself by attacking you.

For instance, people who profess a very restrictive moral code are sometimes disproportionately outraged at the indulgence of others. See, the restrictivist feels indignation that others enjoy something he has practiced denying himself, especially when he still wants to indulge and secretly worries that his abstinence may be a form of unnecessary suffering. It’s far easier to attack the people who threaten to remind him of all this than it is to deal with the real conflicts within himself, and this is precisely what he does.

Having this insight allows us to respond to his attacks with pity and love, seeking to comfort a deeply pained soul rather than to simply refute a healthy debate opponent.