The Path Of Least Resistance

The Path of Least Resistance

Scripture: Second Timothy 1:1-7; 4:2-4; First Samuel 15:1-3; 24

The title of my message this morning is “The Path of Least Resistance.”

The path of least resistance is “the physical or symbolic pathway that provides the least resistance to forward motion by a given object or entity, among a set of alternative paths.” That was a lot of words so let me simplify or take the path of least resistance to aid your understanding of the phrase. The path of least resistance is simply “choosing an option which involves the least difficulty or unpleasantness; the easiest course of action.” People in general look for the easiest way to do things and, in some cases, it makes sense. When I was in graduate school, one of my courses focused on different processes, or different ways of producing something, and how to eliminate unnecessary steps in the process that would enable the organization to get to the end result faster. If you’re in the business of manufacturing a product, eliminating wasteful steps is important to maximizing profits, so the path of least resistance would be beneficial to them. However, for the average person, the path of least resistance means getting the most with the least amount of effort. And for some, it means modifying their goals if they are not willing to do what is required to achieve that goal.

Robert Fritz, who was a renowned ceramics and glass artist in the mid-20th century studio glass movement and, later a professor at San Jose State University in California, wrote a book titled, “The Path of Least Resistance”. When discussing why athletes and musicians put in so much time practicing, Fritz wrote: “Athletes and musicians may not enjoy practicing long hours, but they do so just the same; not out of duty, obligation, or any other form of self-manipulation, but because they are making secondary choices consistent with their primary choice to be able to perform music or excel at sports. Secondary choices are always subordinate to a primary choice. Often there is no reason to make such choices outside of the context of the primary choice that calls for them.” Here’s what the author is saying: because the athlete and musician made the primary choice to excel and be the best, their secondary choices will not allow them to take the path of least resistance. Their secondary choices must contribute to the achievement of the primary choice. As a matter of fact, choices that are not aligned to the primary decision are quickly dismissed. I want you to remember this as you will hear in this message through the examples discussed because without a concrete primary choice, the path of least resistance, in most cases, will be the chosen option. However, when there is a concrete primary choice, the path of least resistance is never an option.

Let me give you two somewhat familiar examples. Have you ever heard someone use the phrase “it just sour grapes”? This term “sour grapes” stems from a myth about a fox that sees grapes that are out of reach so he assumes they are sour. This term is used to refer to an attitude in which it is easier to reduce our expectations than to achieve what we really want if we must work hard to achieve it. In this example, the fox never made the primary choice of getting the grapes because if he had he would not have defaulted to not wanting them because they were probably sour. He chose not to even try to get them because it would be too hard. We also see an example of this with the twelve spies that Moses had sent out to see the Promise Land. Ten of the spies returned and gave a bad report to Moses and the people. Numbers 13:32 records, “And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.’” (Numbers 13:32) This is an example of sour grapes. This is an example of people choosing to reject the primary choice – the Promised Land. Because the ten spies had not chosen first that they would take the land regardless of what they saw, they became afraid of what they saw and chose not to even try when it would be God Who would be doing the heavy lifting. Had they gone to spy the land with a primary choice to take it already being made in their hearts, they would have been like Joshua and Caleb, fired up and ready to go in! Sour grapes is a form of taking the path of least resistance when a concrete primary choice has not been made, and in this case, rejected.