Why Being Willing to Say “I Might Be Wrong” Can Transform Your Faith
Why Being Willing to Say “I Might Be Wrong” Can Transform Your Faith
Sometimes the Most Spiritual Thing We Can Do Is Admit We Don't Know Everything
A few years ago, if you had told me that one of the most important virtues in my faith journey would be humility, I probably would have agreed with you in theory.
Humility sounds like a good Christian virtue. We all want to be humble.
But I think many of us imagine humility as being modest, serving others, or not drawing attention to ourselves. While those things certainly matter, there is another form of humility that can be much harder to embrace.
It is the humility to admit that we might not know everything.
That can be uncomfortable, especially when it comes to faith.
Many of us have spent years building our understanding of God, Scripture, theology, and the Christian life. We have learned from pastors we trust, authors we respect, churches we love, and traditions that helped shape us. Those things become familiar. They become part of our spiritual identity.
Then one day, a question appears.
Maybe it comes from a conversation. Maybe it comes from reading Scripture. Maybe it comes from studying church history. Maybe it comes from hearing a perspective you've never seriously considered before.
Suddenly, something doesn't fit quite as neatly as it once did.
At that moment, we face a choice.
We can immediately dismiss the question because it feels uncomfortable.
Or we can lean in and ask God what He might be trying to teach us.
The Difference Between Doubt and Humility
I think many Christians fear questions because they associate questions with doubt.
If I ask questions, does that mean my faith is weak?
If I reexamine something I've always believed, does that mean I'm abandoning God?
Not necessarily.
In fact, some of the most faithful people in Scripture asked difficult questions.
The disciples constantly asked questions.
Nicodemus asked questions.
The woman at the well asked questions.
Even Mary asked questions when the angel appeared to her.
Questions are not the enemy of faith.
Pride is.
Pride assumes we already know enough.
Pride decides there is nothing left to learn.
Pride closes the door before God has a chance to lead us deeper.
Humility, on the other hand, leaves room for God to teach us.
Humility says, "Lord, if there is something I have misunderstood, I want You to show me."
That is not a prayer of unbelief.
That is a prayer of trust.
Seeking Truth Requires Courage
Most people assume that changing your mind is easy.
It isn't.
Changing your mind can be incredibly costly.
It may affect relationships.
It may create tension with friends or family.
It may require admitting that something you believed for years was incomplete or inaccurate.
None of that feels comfortable.
That is one reason many people avoid difficult questions altogether.
If we're being honest, sometimes we don't fear discovering the truth.
We fear what the truth might require of us.
Jesus speaks about counting the cost of discipleship, and I think that principle applies in more ways than we often realize.
Seeking truth requires courage because truth has a way of disrupting our comfort zones.
Yet if God is truth itself, then we never need to fear where genuine truth will lead.
We may not like every step of the journey.
We may not understand every twist and turn.
But we can trust the One who guides us.
Why Church History Matters
One of the things that has surprised me most in my own journey is how little attention many Christians give to church history.
We love Scripture, and rightly so.
We study the Bible.
We memorize verses.
We listen to sermons.
But many of us know very little about what happened after the Book of Acts.
What did the earliest Christians believe?
How did they worship?
How did they understand the teachings of the apostles?
How did they handle disagreements and controversies?
These are important questions.
After all, Christianity did not disappear after the last page of the New Testament was written.
The Church continued.
Believers continued gathering.
The Gospel continued spreading.
Christians continued teaching, suffering, and even dying for their faith.
There is tremendous wisdom in understanding how the earliest followers of Christ lived and what they believed.
Studying history does not replace Scripture.
It helps provide context for Scripture.
It helps us understand how the first Christians interpreted the teachings they received from the apostles.
It reminds us that Christianity did not begin with our generation.
We are part of a story that stretches back two thousand years.
Listening Before Responding
One lesson I continue learning is the importance of truly listening to people before deciding what they believe.
This sounds obvious, but it is surprisingly rare.
Too often we form opinions about people based on secondhand information.
We hear what someone else says about a group, a denomination, or a belief system, and we assume we understand it.
Then we repeat those assumptions without ever investigating them for ourselves.
The problem is that we often end up arguing against positions people don't actually hold.
I've discovered that meaningful conversations begin when we stop preparing our response long enough to understand what someone is actually saying.
That doesn't mean we will agree with everyone.
It doesn't mean we abandon discernment.
It simply means we treat others with enough respect to understand their perspective accurately before evaluating it.
This approach requires humility because it forces us to acknowledge that our assumptions might be incomplete.
But it also opens the door to genuine learning.
God Is Not Threatened by Your Questions
One of the greatest fears many Christians carry is the fear that asking questions will somehow offend God.
Yet when I read Scripture, I see a God who repeatedly invites people to seek Him.
Jesus welcomed sincere seekers.
He welcomed questions.
He welcomed conversations.
He welcomed people who genuinely wanted to know the truth.
What He consistently challenged was hard-heartedness.
The problem was never curiosity.
The problem was refusing to listen.
God is not intimidated by your questions.
He is not nervous about your research.
He is not worried about what you might discover.
If your desire is truly to know Him more deeply, you can trust Him to guide you.
That does not mean every question will be answered overnight.
Some answers take time.
Some journeys unfold over years.
But God honors sincere seekers.
A Prayer Worth Praying
There is a simple prayer that I think every Christian can pray.
"Lord, show me what I do not yet see."
That prayer requires courage.
It requires surrender.
It requires trust.
But it also creates space for God to work.
Maybe He will affirm things you already believe.
Maybe He will deepen your understanding of truths you've known for years.
Maybe He will challenge assumptions you never thought to question.
Whatever happens, that prayer places us in a posture of openness before God.
And that is often where spiritual growth begins.
Following Jesus Wherever He Leads
At the end of the day, faith is not about winning arguments.
It is not about proving ourselves right.
It is not about defending our pride.
Faith is about following Jesus.
Wherever He leads.
Sometimes that journey confirms what we've always known.
Sometimes it stretches us.
Sometimes it surprises us.
But if our goal is truly Christ, then we do not have to be afraid of where He leads.
The Christian life is not a quest to protect our assumptions.
It is a lifelong pursuit of truth.
And the people who grow the most are often the ones willing to say:
"Lord, if there is more You want to teach me, I'm listening."
Because spiritual maturity does not come from having every answer.
It comes from having a heart that remains teachable in the presence of God.
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