10 Things I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 – Part 6
July 31, 2005
Dear Friends,
The sixth thing I wish I knew when I was twenty is:
#6 – Open your ears and your mind.
It is recorded eight times in the Gospels that Jesus said “If any man have ears to hear, let him hear.” Jesus explained to his disciples what he meant when he said it.
For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. (Matt. 13:15)
Jesus never criticized anyone for having an open mind, asking tough (but not trick) questions and seeking for Bible truth through critical thinking. On the other hand, he did consistently criticize those whose minds were made up without the necessary facts.
Psychologists have a term for the discomfort we feel when we are presented with information that contradicts a currently held belief. It is called cognitive dissonance. This dissonance or discomfort can vary widely depending on the depth of the conviction with which we hold that belief. This is why we often run into people who would rather eat crushed glass than delve into a discussion on religion that questions their long-held beliefs. These people might have little more than a passing knowledge of the Bible, but if you contradict what their parents told them, it causes such extreme discomfort they will look for any and every opportunity to end the conversation.
Sometimes, with people such as the Pharisees, the issue is more of pride. In the first century, if you had a religious question, you went to the Pharisees. When Jesus came along and started teaching things contrary to the Pharisees, it made them look bad. For the Pharisee it came down to admitting either that they were wrong or opposing the son of God. We all know which option they took.
It is not comfortable to ask tough questions, listen to people with an open mind and even seek out opposing opinions. It makes us have to think which is not always the easiest thing to do. Many people (most people?) don’t want to think. In fact it was Bertrand Russell who said “Most people would rather die than think; in fact, they do so.” They want someone to tell them what to think and believe. They want to hear what they want to hear. Comfort should not be paramount to the true disciple, truth should be. I fully believe that God will reward us if we do. He says so in Hebrews. “He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” For those who think they have all of the answers, they will probably not be all that diligent in their search.
In my own experience, I was a combination of Pharisee and someone completely averse to cognitive dissonance. I believed what I was taught without question. For me, anyone who spoke differently on just about any issue was wrong. I was about an inch deep and a mile wide on just about everything religious. This insecurity coupled with pride made me very averse to being able to listen and think through things critically. By God’s grace, most of what I was taught was correct. However, it was not until my mid-twenties that I realized that having an open mind was not the opposite of having conviction. In fact, in many ways openness and conviction are partners. It was not until my thirties that I wanted to be challenged. It was not until I was nearly in my forties that I actively sought to understand the opposing view.
Light has nothing to fear from darkness. Truth has nothing to fear from error. However, using the whole counsel of God, we must be truth seekers and not just knowledge seekers. Some are not wishing to know truth, just to know. These men are described as “Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.” (2 Tim. 3:7-8)
Always remember what Jesus said. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Mt. 7:7)
Have a great week!
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