New Reminders: Rationalization

A person who is rational, uses reasoning that is logical and employs verifiable facts and evidence to support his or her opinions and decisions.  While a person who is rationalizing, he or she is more likely to use what might seem like reasonable statements or excuses to justify their opinions or behavior.  Rationalization is a defense mechanism, employing plausible but questionable reasons, that we may not want to acknowledge are flawed, to explain whatever we don’t want to admit.  Quite often, the person who is rationalizing is not even aware that they are doing it.  For example, when something is uncomfortable or difficult to accept, we often want to deny that it is happening or is even a possibility.  We can always find a way to protect our self-esteem and avoid discomfort by creating what seems like acceptable explanations for difficult situations. 

For example, it is natural to want to escape the possibility that we might have a disease such diabetes, because it might mean that we will have to watch what we eat or have to take medicines for the rest of our lives.  The rational thing to do is to get tested and to start adopting appropriate behaviors, and start treatments, if we do have the disease.  But sometimes it is easier to just deny that we might have a disease or problem, and put off finding out, so that we don’t have to face the possible consequences.  It is easy for someone who is not facing such a possibility to think the person in this situation is acting foolishly, but none of us are immune from doing the same thing when we ourselves face an uncomfortable situation.

We are all good at rationalizing our thoughts and behaviors and can find a plausible explanation that will allow us to try to delay or avoid the truth.  Careless or thoughtless behavior can easily be explained away by the fact that we are always so busy.  We can always put something off, because we have too many other, “more-urgent” things to attend to.  We can all find a way to explain why we don’t spend more time with loved ones, or why we don’t spend more time in prayer, reading the Bible, or going to church.  Yet somehow, we can always find time to do something we really want to do. We find time to check our phones and watch silly videos or watch or engage in a game.  We are masters at arranging our schedules around the things we enjoy, but not so good at prioritizing the things that God has asked us to do.  

The Bible teaches that men should “Prove all things” and to “hold fast” to that which is good and true, found in 1 Thessalonians 5:21. In other words, while we are all good at finding logical explanations for what we don’t want to admit, that does not absolve us from acknowledging the truth.  Denial is one of the ways we delude ourselves into believing we are not guilty of trying to avoid discomfort or embarrassment.  Denial is a tool we use for trying to avoid admitting guilt for sinful thoughts or actions.  We can always find a way to protect our self-esteem and avoid discomfort by creating what seems like acceptable explanations for difficult situations. 

In 2 Timothy 1:7, we read: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control."  That includes controlling our minds and not allowing ourselves to be deluded by denial and other forms of rationalization.  For Christians, avoiding rationalization is crucial for maintaining integrity and a close relationship with God.  We need to seek and embrace truth, practice honest self-examination, and depend on God's love and power to help us avoid rationalization.  Using our God-given intellect to distinguish truth from our own tendency toward self-deception and excuse making is essential in finding peace within ourselves and with God.