Author Judi Ketteler wrote an opinion column for NBC news that reflected on the complicated legacy of the late talk radio icon and conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh. In it, she highlighted a tragic irony: Limbaugh died as a result of complications from lung cancer after spending the majority of his career either downplaying or outright denying the dangers of cigarette smoke.

Limbaugh was masterful at creating and reinforcing narratives that lionized his allies and demonized his enemies, and it’s what made him popular. Often those narratives were rooted in truth … yet in the case of his own health, he continued to deny the conventional wisdom that smoking causes harm.

Ketteler went on to highlight several areas where many people struggle with self-deception. These include overconfidence, misinformation, and a phenomenon known as motivated reasoning, which is “thinking through a topic with the aim of reaching a particular conclusion.”

Possible Preaching Angle:

We all have areas where we struggle, but if we ignore the truth long enough it will eventually catch up with us.