Common sense is not a little thing if you seriously think about it and consider that Merriam-Webster defines common sense as-
sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.
It is possible for someone to be very smart intellectually but have very little common sense. One does not necessarily cancel the other but it does possibly overshadow.
People for the most part have and use their common sense daily to make it through the day. It helps in everything from choosing the right clothes to wear that day, how to navigate around town or even choose what to eat. Common sense is especially important as a person deals with others around them. If you consider it and watch how people deal with their lives, you will see that it is common sense which is used more or at the least it should be.
People can be very proud of their intellectual or educational knowledge. It reminds me though that the Bible says in Proverbs 16:18-
Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall.
The word haughtiness is speaking of arrogance. Arrogance is defined as an attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.
There is no limit as to where you will run into people who are prideful and even exhibit haughtiness (arrogance). I know I have found them in every area of life that I have lived. From my youth, my business career, my ministry life, and anywhere where I have dealt with people.
Thomas Paine wrote a pamphlet called Common Sense (1776) and
...it was the most widely read pamphlet of the American Revolution. It was a clarion call for unity, against the corrupt British court, so as to realize America’s providential role in providing an asylum for liberty. Written in a direct and lively style, it denounced the decaying despotisms of Europe and pilloried hereditary monarchy as an absurdity. At a time when many still hoped for reconciliation with Britain, Common Sense demonstrated to many the inevitability of separation. (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)
Paine wrote in a manner that conveyed a common sense to the reader for independence. He began by stating-
Some writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the former promotes our happiness possitively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
Common sense today can applaud the observation of Paine now 248 years later. Why? Because truth never changes and in our world today society and government are still the patron and the punisher.
I don't know about you but I do know about myself. I have the freedom to make up my mind and say what I believe is true. Common sense tells me that when I approach those efforts respectfully and intelligently when I have and am doing what I should. There is no entitlement involved. Rather it is the Declaration of Independence of 1776 that declares-
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.
The Bill of Rights declares in Amendment 1 that-
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Now you might say here that what I have shared thus far isn't really about common sense. I beg to differ and here is why. Remember the definition of common sense we stated in the beginning?
sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.
Common sense tells us what is the best decision we can make. It will direct us to consider beyond what we are told is the best thing to do. There are always things to consider but there is no reason to abandon common sense. Common Sense comes from the school of hard knocks. It is learning from your experiences. Proverbs 8:5 CSB says-
Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced; develop common sense, you who are foolish.
Common sense will direct you in making wise and prudent decisions that can affect your life positively. It is common for someone to seek instant gratification. In so doing they set aside common sense. Making a decision that will not provide the results they wanted to have.
It has been noted that common sense from the Biblical view common sense is a combination of wisdom and discretion. Proverbs 3:21 says-
Maintain sound wisdom and discretion. My son, don’t lose sight of them.
Then we read in Proverbs 8:12-14
12 I, wisdom, share a home with shrewdness and have knowledge and discretion.
13 To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate arrogant pride, evil conduct, and perverse speech.
14 I possess good advice and sound wisdom; I have understanding and strength.
So common sense is knowing what to do which is wisdom. It is also discretion in knowing when and where to do it.
I think you will agree that this is a timeless lesson and one that applies perfectly as you and I approach the day. It also is a great lesson as we approach our responsibilities.
In God's Grace,
Elbert Nasworthy
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