The need for "bit and bridle"
In my sermon this week I spoke about a phenomenon called self-enhancement, the tendency we all have to think more highly of ourselves than our performance merits.
This is also called the Dunning-Kruger Effect, named after the Cornell psychologists whose research popularized the concept. Dunning and Kruger studied domains like logic, grammar, and sense of humor where they discovered that the lowest quartile of performers are the most likely to self-assess as above average.
In other words, the people who are the worst at stuff are most likely to think of themselves as the best at stuff (or at least a lot better than they actually are).
This holds true for morality as well. People who are the worst moral performers are the most likely to self-assess as morally above average.
But the road to moral improvement begins with the willingness to admit (to yourself, to others, and to God) that you’re not as morally righteous as you let on (or as people might think based on your social presentation).
Somewhere along the line Christianity became a place where people pretend to be better than they are rather than the place where, because we have a God of unfailing love and faithfulness, people can be honest about who they are as the first step toward becoming who God created them to be.
If you’re willing take that step, however, you may have to admit that certain environments are beyond your present moral maturity.
The Psalmist says, “Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”[1] The idea is that people should simply love God enough to obey him. The preceding verse says, “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”[2]
That would be great. It would be great to get to a place of such moral maturity that we loved God so authentically that we were simply willing to trust him with every decision.
That’s a noble goal.
But most of us are not there, and until we get there, we may need a “bit and bridle” to keep us under control.
And that’s ok.
Returning to the ski example I used in my sermon, if I have an accurate understanding of my present skill as a skier, I will stay away from the most technically difficult terrain, runs reserved for “experts only.” I’m just not ready for that environment. It would not be safe for me to attempt.
Or consider alcoholism as an example. For some people, when they first begin their road to sobriety they have to remove all alcohol from their homes, they can’t attend social functions where other people will be drinking, in some cases they can’t even go to the grocery store. The temptation to drink is still stronger than their moral resolve not to. In that season, it is morally wise to rely on “bits and bridles” to help them maintain control.
These kinds of rules and safeguards will not lead to the kind of righteousness that God made us for, described in Psalm 32:8, and can in some cases serve as a dangerous substitute for true moral health,[3] but used appropriately they can keep us safe in our moral infancy, giving us the space we need to morally mature.
If you accept the invitation to be a little more honest about your present moral character and you realize that certain contexts or environments are simply too much for you right now to remain faithful, it’s good and wise to put safeguards in place that prevent you from having to navigate those spaces. Some Christians make the mistake of thinking that because not being like a senseless horse or mule is the goal they are supposed to act as if they aren’t one, throwing off the ”bits and bridles” they may actually need right now.
The road to moral improvement begins with us being honest about our present state and allowing God who is unfailing in love and faithfulness to receive us and equip us with his Spirit to make moral advancements. But part of acknowledging our present moral state and allowing God to love us is admitting that we are not presently strong enough for certain environments and erecting safeguards to protect us from them.
Hopefully one day we won’t need those safeguards, but it’s ok to need them now.
[1] Psalm 32:9
[2] Psalm 32:8
[3] See Paul’s argument in Colossians 2:20-23
This is also called the Dunning-Kruger Effect, named after the Cornell psychologists whose research popularized the concept. Dunning and Kruger studied domains like logic, grammar, and sense of humor where they discovered that the lowest quartile of performers are the most likely to self-assess as above average.
In other words, the people who are the worst at stuff are most likely to think of themselves as the best at stuff (or at least a lot better than they actually are).
This holds true for morality as well. People who are the worst moral performers are the most likely to self-assess as morally above average.
But the road to moral improvement begins with the willingness to admit (to yourself, to others, and to God) that you’re not as morally righteous as you let on (or as people might think based on your social presentation).
Somewhere along the line Christianity became a place where people pretend to be better than they are rather than the place where, because we have a God of unfailing love and faithfulness, people can be honest about who they are as the first step toward becoming who God created them to be.
If you’re willing take that step, however, you may have to admit that certain environments are beyond your present moral maturity.
The Psalmist says, “Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”[1] The idea is that people should simply love God enough to obey him. The preceding verse says, “The Lord says, ‘I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.’”[2]
That would be great. It would be great to get to a place of such moral maturity that we loved God so authentically that we were simply willing to trust him with every decision.
That’s a noble goal.
But most of us are not there, and until we get there, we may need a “bit and bridle” to keep us under control.
And that’s ok.
Returning to the ski example I used in my sermon, if I have an accurate understanding of my present skill as a skier, I will stay away from the most technically difficult terrain, runs reserved for “experts only.” I’m just not ready for that environment. It would not be safe for me to attempt.
Or consider alcoholism as an example. For some people, when they first begin their road to sobriety they have to remove all alcohol from their homes, they can’t attend social functions where other people will be drinking, in some cases they can’t even go to the grocery store. The temptation to drink is still stronger than their moral resolve not to. In that season, it is morally wise to rely on “bits and bridles” to help them maintain control.
These kinds of rules and safeguards will not lead to the kind of righteousness that God made us for, described in Psalm 32:8, and can in some cases serve as a dangerous substitute for true moral health,[3] but used appropriately they can keep us safe in our moral infancy, giving us the space we need to morally mature.
If you accept the invitation to be a little more honest about your present moral character and you realize that certain contexts or environments are simply too much for you right now to remain faithful, it’s good and wise to put safeguards in place that prevent you from having to navigate those spaces. Some Christians make the mistake of thinking that because not being like a senseless horse or mule is the goal they are supposed to act as if they aren’t one, throwing off the ”bits and bridles” they may actually need right now.
The road to moral improvement begins with us being honest about our present state and allowing God who is unfailing in love and faithfulness to receive us and equip us with his Spirit to make moral advancements. But part of acknowledging our present moral state and allowing God to love us is admitting that we are not presently strong enough for certain environments and erecting safeguards to protect us from them.
Hopefully one day we won’t need those safeguards, but it’s ok to need them now.
[1] Psalm 32:9
[2] Psalm 32:8
[3] See Paul’s argument in Colossians 2:20-23
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