The Unreasonables

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere. (James 3:17)

We all know people who appear to thrive on drama, are dramatic themselves or react more strongly to negative situations than others. These people are being tricked by the devil. He is using their personality traits against them. He is causing them to lose faith in God. They have more faith that terrible things are going to happen than they have faith that God is in control.

To us, it may seem that they always have some type of situation that is causing them stress. They are never at peace with God. These people cannot be reached with reason while they are in their stressful state. We can explain the facts or show them logic, but they will refuse to listen.

Reasonableness is wisdom from above. God shows us that when we are reasonable in our thinking, in our discussions, and in our actions, we have peace. Although, each of us is unreasonable at one time or another, these occurrences are dependent upon sporadic circumstances and do not consume every minute of our lives.

‘The Unreasonables’ allow themselves to be drawn away from God by every problem in their families, their work, or just their everyday lives. They often create or see problems where there are none. Satan uses their tendency toward strong reactions to fill their minds with fear and not with faith. The are irrational, without self-control, and will not be reasoned with.

A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. (Proverbs 25:28)

If unreasonable people have been captured by the devil to do his will instead of the will of our Father in heaven, the only truly powerful tool we have is prayer. If we cannot reason with someone, we must pray. When a brother or sister in the Lord is not experiencing the abundant life that God wants them to have, it is our responsibility to pray for them, for their faith and for their peace.

We are directed to love them and pray for them, but it is not a sin to separate ourselves from their situations. ‘The Unreasonables’ can turn us into enablers, continually leaning on us and sharing their problems. As Christians we want to help and usually in trying to help, we try to reason with them. 

This is a way the devil reaches us and causes frustration in our lives. Visits with ‘The Unreasonables’ can be full of complaints and bitterness and that is not healthy for our walk with God. Total unreasonableness is a ‘worthless pursuit’ which is one of the definitions of evil.

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. ... (Romans 12:9-21)

God has given us His Holy Spirit so that we might have peace and faith, patience and joy. It is His desire that we take time away from drama, to be still and know that He is God. We must pray fervently for those who live surrounded by unrest that they might realize God does not want them to live that way.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. (John 14:27)

It is not our responsibility to try to reason with those whom reason cannot reach.  We can leave this up to God. We can express our sincere desire for them to have peace and tell them that we will pray. We must separate ourselves from their chaos so that we don’t become their crutch and they can begin to rely on God for His strength and guidance.

We must carefully guard our relationship with Christ and not be drawn into vain arguments or discussions. We must be open to reason ourselves, being good listeners, impartial and sincere. By our love and our prayers, we can show them what faith in God can do.

If we recognize ourselves as being one of ‘The Unreasonables’, we need to pray and seek counsel so that we can enjoy the fullness of God, lead more joyful lives, and have peace.

  “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool. (Isaiah 1:18)

Prayer: Lord it is difficult to be around people who are unreasonable and live in a constant state of fear or sadness. Help us to love them and pray for them. Take away any guilt we feel by not jumping in to help every time they call. Keep us grounded in the faith and not drawn away into struggles, real or imagined. Help us to take time to be still with You, strengthen our faith so we can show it to the world. And help us to always listen and be open to reason. Amen