What Is Deflection?
Deflection is a psychological defense mechanism wherein you redirect conversation or attention away from yourself and onto another topic or someone else. It’s almost like throwing the ball into another’s court for them to dodge. You deflect the focus from something that you find threatening or uncomfortable. – Adapted from Swarnakshi Sharma
Successful politicians are masters of deflection. When Bill Clinton was confronted about his relationship with Monica Lewinsky, he famously replied, “That depends on what the meaning of the word ‘is’ is.” Everyone knew the truth, yet the deflection is what many people still remember.
Deflection Starts Early
You don’t have to be a crafty politician with a law degree to know how to deflect. It is in our DNA. Children do it all the time:
Teacher: ” Johnny, did you do your homework”?
Johnny: “The dog ate it.”
Mom: “Mary, did you eat all the cookies”?
Mary (pointing to her baby sister): “Sally, ate most of them”.
Dad: “Sammy, why did you hit your sister”?
Sammy: “Well, she started it”!
Adults simply get better at it. Watch any episode of *COPS* or *Live PD* and you’ll see grown men and women using the same tactics:
Officer: “Did you steal this nice car, why is there a screw driver in the ignition”?
Suspect: “I lost my keys.”
Officer: “We found these drugs under the seat, are they yours”?
Suspect: “I gave a ride to a hitchhiker earlier today, he must of left them there”?
I must admit I have mastered deflection too.
My wife screaming from the dark bathroom in the middle of the night: “Why can’t you remember to put the toilet seat down”?
Me: “I remembered to take the trash out!
Hey sweetheart … have you lost weight”?
Peter’s Famous Deflection
Even the apostles were not immune.
In one of Jesus’ final conversations with Peter by the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:15-25), Jesus asks the same pointed question three times: “Do you love Me?”
Peter had to be squirming. The threefold question almost certainly reminded him of the three times he denied knowing Jesus the night before the crucifixion. Then Jesus tells Peter about his future ministry—and even the manner of his death—before simply saying, “Follow Me.”
How does Peter respond to the risen Son of God?
He deflects.
Peter points to the apostle John and asks, “Lord, what about him?”
How Many of Us Still Deflect When Jesus Says, “Follow Me”?
Non-believers often stiff-arm Jesus outright. Believers are usually subtler. We rarely say a hard “no.” Instead we say, “Not now.”
I still remember one of my own “not now” moments. A classmate at Georgetown University invited me to his Bible study. I told him I had to work. It was technically true—I was working my way through college—but I could have made time. The real reason? I didn’t want to spend my limited free hours with “Bible thumpers.”
God didn’t give up on me. Forty-five years later I attend a Bible-believing church, meet weekly with a men’s Bible study, and study Scripture every day. Looking back feels bittersweet. I regret waiting so long to discover the joy of God’s Word, yet I’m deeply grateful He patiently waited for me to answer the call.
A Better Response
If you are a non-believer, please give your Father in heaven a chance. Turn towards Him and be filled with His light.
If you are a believer, ask the Holy Spirit to help you stop deflecting when He places His finger on an area of your life. Temporary conviction from a loving Father is far better than the lasting consequences of following our own path.
God’s plan for us is always better than any plan we make without Him.
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