What Was I Thinking? Things I’ve Learned Since I Knew It All
That’s the title of a book written by Steve Brown, one of my favorite authors and speakers. His life and theology has been to a certain degree a series of U-turns- thinking that he understood something, only to later on change his mind. He’s open about this, and very much the opposite of the person described in the sentence below:
The hardest person to teach is the one who thinks they already know. – Joel Miller
What distinguishes the know it all, the one who is sophomoric, from the one who is open? Usually, it’s a painful life experience. One such life experience is often church or faith related. A second is a physical and often life- threatening condition that comes on suddenly. A third is a mental health crisis and the associated stigma. Whatever it is, it often becomes the catalyst that sends the sufferer searching for answers to make some sense of what he or she is facing.
If it’s a spiritual issue, we may find ourselves looking outside our faith tradition for answers. Two good resources in which the hosts let those they are interviewing express their views without letting the session become combative are gospel simplicity and Javier Perdomo.
If it’s a serious physical health issue in which the sufferer or care giver’s perspective is in freefall, Kate Bowler, Everything Happens worth checking out.
Finally, for a mental health crisis in which spiritualizing the problem (throwing Scripture verses at it or moralizing) is actually making the problem worse, Three Moms in the Trenches is practical and supportive.
The key to being teachable is to recognize our knowledge limitations, to admit our knowledge is only partial, and to listen to and make room for those whose expertise has been earned and proven.
Thanks for Reading,
Curt Bumcrot, MRE
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