Stop In The Name Of Love
Just because you already began doesn’t mean you have to continue or finish. Its ok to stop right where you are and make a different choice. -unknown
The sunken cost fallacy is when a person continues to do something (continues to go down a path, or participate in something, or persists in a mindset or behavior) because they feel they have already invested too much (time, life, money, effort, energy, emotion, sacrifice, their soul) so they have to stick with it or it would have been all for naught. The feeling behind it is that I have already given so much, or too much, to this “thing” that I can’t walk away from it…everything that I’ve done would have been in vain and I just can’t deal with the thought of loosing so much.
I totally get the the sunken cost fallacy, it appears to make a ton of sense and I am 100% sure that I have committed this fallacy many times. However, the thing about fallacies is though they seem to make sense they are not logical ways of thinking — there is some flaw in the reasoning. The error in the sunken cost fallacy is that you think what you lost participating in the “thing” is worth more than what you will gain from stopping and so then you do not stop for the sake of attempting to avoid loss.
When it comes to God however the logic of man is not applicable. Everything (including man) operates within the bounds of God but God does not operate within the bounds of man. Our logic, proofs, theories, evidences, sciences, strategies, systems, principles, postulates, and laws are not our own genius and glory on display they are merely attempts to make sense of the things God has done. So when God speaks, to think that understanding gained by man trumps what God says would be foolish. The knowledge of man just scratches the surface of the depths of God and the working of his creations.
Scripture says:
15 Fools think they know
what is best,
but a sensible person
listens to advice.
(Proverbs 12:15 CEV)
What do you do when God says “no” or “stop” and you don’t want to because it seems you have soooooooooo much to lose if you do. God is Love (1 John 4:8), and the only right answer in that scenario is to stop in the name of Love. In church lingo, to stop and go a completely different direction (do something other than what you have been doing) is called repentance . When Scripture tells us to repent it is giving us the same advice/warning as this sblog (sermon web log) - stop and turn from where you are to the direction God is telling you to go. Acts 3:19 says, “So turn to God! Give up your sins, and you will be forgiven. “
Too many of us think we have more time to get ourselves together than we actually have. So we drag our feet and put off doing right for another day. But the parable of the man who was blessed with more than he could ever need (Luke 12:13-21) teaches us a valuable lesson - tomorrow is not promised. In Luke 12:19 the man said to himself, “… ‘You have stored up enough good things to last for years to come. Live it up! Eat, drink, and enjoy yourself.’ But in the very next verse (Luke 12:20) “God said: “You fool! Tonight you will die…“. Don’t take “now” for granted! Trust God! Trust that God is powerful enough, loving enough, willing enough to give you more in the blink of an eye than it took you a week/day/month/year/lifetime to loose by investing in your lost cause.
How To Stop What I Am Doing?
Who
o You: Look inward at yourself and identify all the things that you are doing that the Bible explicitly tells you not to do
(or tells you is not pleasing or an abomination to God)Action: make a list of these things (physically write them doen on paper or type them out)
What
Stop: Do not do it ever again. Stop in your tracks. Quit cold turkey. Let the last time be the last time. Cut off everyone and anyone who would shame you for leaving your "thing" behind, or seduce you into continuing. Remove everything from your environment that would tempt you back into your old ways (every picture, trincket, postcard, piece of clothing, mug, book, song, etc) take it down throw it away or in the least pack it up and put it out of sight and out of mind
When
Now: We all think we have more time than we do. Tomorrow is not promised (neither are deathbed conversions or confessions)
Where
Wherever you are right now!
Why
Everything that glitters ain’t gold
Everything that feels right ain’t right
What you want may not be what you need
and most importantly: God said so!
