Blog No. 39 - Reading Time: 3:15

There is a term used in modern business called The Sunk-Cost Fallacy. It is a phenomenon whereby a person is reluctant to abandon a strategy or course of action because they have invested heavily in it, even when it is clear that abandonment would be more beneficial.

I see so many people hanging on to stuff that not only no longer serves a purpose, but has become unmanageable and detrimental to them moving forward in life.

I’m not talking just about old sins and habits that continue to wreak havoc on our lives, but relationships, projects, ambitions, and other pursuits. The Sunk-Cost Fallacy in relationships occurs when individuals continue investing time, emotional energy, and effort into a relationship despite recognizing that it is no longer fulfilling or beneficial. And in some cases destructive.

Why do we not just let go and limit our losses? Why can we not see that we cannot continue to pour more good money after bad? Sometimes it may be pride, in our unwillingness to admit we’ve made a mistake. Sometimes emotions get in the way and prevent us from walking away. At other times we deceive ourselves into thinking that with a little more effort we can turn our failures into successes.

The Time Has Come

Whatever the case, we end up hanging onto things longer even after their purpose has either been fulfilled or they have outlived their usefulness. I could coin the term “emotional hoarders.” People who drag so many things along with them in life that eventually they come to a standstill. People who are buried under a load of past hurts and offenses that drown them in self-pity. Yet, they are still unwilling to let it go and be free.

The expression “dragging it up again” is very real. It’s done. It’s buried. Quit digging up what has died and pouring more emotional effort into it.

I think sometimes we need to consider that it’s not all those things in the past that are holding us back as much as it is our clinging to them, hoping for a change. We need to clearly define when something is over and cut it loose. The true fallacy is thinking that time changes things. Really no more than time heals things. Neither are true. Change must begin within us. This means throwing out all the old emotional baggage and making room for useful things that help our lives to move forward. Letting go is not easy.

Seasons Change, An So Do I

In my season of life I have begun getting rid of all the stuff that pertains to me. Most of it goes to the Goodwill, the remainder goes in the trash. However, because I have hung onto so many things beyond their usefulness, I still feel like it’s somewhere around the house. Sometimes I even go looking for it before I realize I gave it away. So now I am making a list of everything that I no longer am hanging onto to remind myself to forget it and move on. Maybe we ought to do that for every area of our lives.

Until next Monday, may the Lord bless you! Pray for us!

Pastor Brian Jenkins

Calvary Assemblies of God

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