Extremes are a 🚩
Extremes are always a red flag to me.
The media loves extremes because extremes grab attention. Outrage, shock, and exaggerated claims get clicks and keep us scrolling. But if we’re honest, we like extremes too. They validate us. They make us feel like our side of the story is finally being seen or heard.
Bryan and I always know our argument is out of control when we start talking in extremes. It is always a red flag that we are off of the topic and just fighting to be right. We will immediately pause bring attention to what is happening and refocus the discussion. Often this happens by pausing and praying together before talking about that topic again.
A few common extremes sound like this:
• Everyone is doing this.
• No one is doing that.
• She is always late.
• She is always on time.
But life rarely plays out in absolutes. The truth usually lives somewhere in the middle.
Example-
Some people are doing this.
They are most often on time.
“When I began, I wasn’t as good as I thought, and now that I am older, I am not as good as everyone says I am.” John Maxwell
The truth can always be found somewhere in the middle.
There are people who say I’m really great. There are people who think I’m deeply flawed. The truth? I’m both. I have good moments, and I’m human. Sometimes I am more human than I care to admit.
The Pendulum Swing of Culture
Culture tends to swing like a pendulum. A few years ago, the church world was caught up in a hyper-grace movement. Everything centered around God’s love and forgiveness. This came as a relief after the ultra-legalistic environment many of us had lived through.
But pendulums don’t stop in the middle, they swing to the opposite extreme.
That’s the danger.
Where we truly need to land is in the balance:
• God is holy, and yet He comes to meet us where we are.
• God is gracious, and His forgiveness empowers us to live holy for Him.
It’s not one or the other. It’s both.
Hold Back From Extremes
In times like these, when headlines scream for our attention and culture thrives on grandiose statements, we must resist the pull of extremes.
When you hear an always or a never, pause. When you see a sweeping declaration, let it give you a reminder to come to center. Extremes should bring caution.
Because the truth is rarely found on the edge of the pendulum. It’s found in the middle. Where grace and truth meet, where conviction and compassion coexist. This is where God calls us to live.