So what does sense even mean and do you have good sense? Well, according to Merriam Webster Dictionary, sense means: the ability to learn and understand or to deal with problems. So it has to do with your intellect or in other words your intelligence. Sense covers a lot of areas in our lives, like it is the ability to make intelligent decisions especially in every day matters and to do that, we must have wisdom, discernment, insight, foresight, you know, knowledge, the understanding of things. Everyone has to have some sense. The Bible gives us some good common sense in
Proverbs 2:1-12. Here is a father speaking to his son. “My child, believe what I say and remember what I command you. Listen to wisdom. Try with all your heart to gain understanding. Cry out for wisdom. Beg for understanding. Search for it as you would for silver. Hunt for it like hidden treasure. Then you will understand what it means to respect the Lord. Then you will begin to know God. Only the Lord gives wisdom. Knowledge and understanding come from Him. He stores up wisdom for those who are honest. Like a shield He protects those who are innocent. He guards those who are fair to others. He protects those who are loyal to Him. Then you will understand what is honest and fair and right. You will understand what is good to do. You will have wisdom in your heart. And knowledge will be pleasing to you. Good sense will protect you. Understanding will guard you. It will keep you from doing evil.”
So many of us have a nickel’s worth of sense, in our five senses, sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste and they help us to gain some knowledge. But there is a sixth sense and it is called common sense. We have been hearing a lot about common sense lately. It is something that not everyone is familiar with. Common sense is good judgment in practical matters. But so many times people differ even on common sense. So we have to start with the word common. What do we all have in common? Well, I would say, we all want to be safe. We all want to live at peace. We all want to achieve in life and be happy.
The beginning of the Declaration of Independence begins with this, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain Unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.”
Yes, God has given us these rights, not man, like Life. Everyone is entitled to be born and have a chance to live life.
Liberty, yes, everyone should be free, but God says this, “My brothers and sisters, God called you to be free, but do not use your freedom as an excuse to do what pleases your sinful self. Serve each other with love. The whole law is made complete in this one command: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself. But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another.”’ Galatians 5:13-15
The Pursuit of Happiness: Yes, God gives us the right to pursue happiness. But that happiness is in God.
Psalm 144:15b says, “Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!”
Since we have things in common, it should be easy enough to all have the same point of reference when it comes to Common Sense. If I do this, I will hurt my neighbor, or if I say this, I will bring harm to the one I am saying this to. Now you can say that this is a wide open statement, which it is, but that is why these rights were given to us by God and only God. But the fact that we all live together on this planet, and many in this country, we must have certain things that we agree to for the sake of civility. 2+2 must equal 4 for everyone. Even Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called “Common Sense” in 1776. You see, in all things either government or in an individual’s life, we must use common sense. What is right for the whole. You see right is right, even if no one is doing it, and wrong is wrong even if everyone is doing it.
This was posted in the London Times called the “Obituary of Common Sense.” Here is just an excerpt: “Today we mourn the passing of a beloved friend: Common Sense. He lived a long life but died from a broken heart (technically: cardiac arrest). No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in homes, schools, businesses — and yes, even in the government — helping folks have rewarding lives, and getting jobs done while minimizing fanfare and foolishness. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valued lessons as to know when to come in from the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, that life isn’t always fair, and maybe it was my fault. Common Sense lived by simple and sound financial policies: Don’t spend more than you earn, waste not want not, A penny saved is a penny earned, and so forth. Mr. Sense was a tireless advocate for what used to be (in the old days) sage advice, like: Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, Two wrongs don’t make a right, and Actions speak louder than words. He was also big on promoting effective parenting strategies like: the adults are in charge (not the kids), and the three R’s (Responsibility, Respect, and Resourcefulness) are the most important lessons to be taught to children. Common Sense started losing the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than their victims. Mr. Sense was preceded in death by his parents: Truth and Trust, his wife: Discretion, his daughter: Responsibility; and his two sons: Diligence and Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers: “What’s in it for me, I know my rights, and I’m a Victim.”
We can not live without common sense. We can exist, but we can not be united. It is like a person who does not have all five of their senses. It makes life very difficult.
Amos Raber made a few changes to this London Times story in his song called Common Sense. Here are a few verses. “When I woke up this morning, it was all over the news. It seems a friend of ours is gone with no one left to fill his shoes. Those that knew him loved him, but it’s all about to change. It might sound strange to you, but Common Sense was his name. Now, there’s no one else to do the job like my friend, Common could. Well, I guess you don’t know what you got til it’s left the world for good. It’s getting pretty obvious we’re all feeling the strain. Someone else has got the job, and Nonsense is his name. Common Sense, so sad to see you go. You’ll be greatly missed by all the common folks you know. Oh, they say this new age thinking gotta be the way to go, But we’re just common folks and Common Sense is all we know.”
We must have a starting point. We must all agree. We have to continue doing what has worked for centuries. We must all agree that each person has the right to live safely, in our homes, as we drive to and fro, as our children grow up to be what they were meant to be. Common Sense has got to return. It is a practical way of life no matter what your religion is or your political preference is. This is what used to unite us. This is what everyone lived by. No matter what we had, we had something in common. We had Common Sense. It may be hard to bring it back but it is worth a try. If we return to the source of Common Sense, the giver of all wisdom and knowledge and understanding we will have a better chance to be united and united we stand, but divided we fall.
Here are a few ways to begin.
We must be open to new experiences: Wisdom is gained through life experience. Learn from mistakes: Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Engage in thoughtful conversations: Seek out diverse sources of information. Practice self-reflection: Continuously learn and reflect on your experiences. Show compassion and empathy: Set a good example. Ask for help when needed: know when to ask for help.
If our life, liberty and our pursuit of happiness comes from God, then we need to follow His instructions.
Here are a few Scriptures:
Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Job 28:28: The fear of the Lord is wisdom, and departing from evil is understanding.
Proverbs 1:7: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.
2 Peter 3:18: Grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ.
James 1:5: Ask God for wisdom, who gives generously to all.
With so many people suffering from mental health issues and those committing suicide, I think we have no time to waste. We have to have Common Sense solutions to unite us or we will fall and never get back up.