I never like to think about being wrong, or that I could possibly be wrong!
I know I should, after all, reconsidering, rethinking and being open to other ideas and perspectives is helpful. It matures and grows us.
Even so, most of the time, I would rather believe I am right. Growth is nice but I like being right.
We do have to admit…we have been wrong about some things though.
For example a short list of things I was wrong about include
- My parents, turns out they did know some things about life, relationships and money!
- Apple devices, I always thought Apple would be a fringe company
- Never thought I would miss having little kids (so much work), but sometimes I do
- I thought I was smarter than my wife when we got married, I am not, she is brilliant
- I saw every issue as black and white up to about 35, now I realize there is some gray
- I have also been wrong about politics and believing I am always on the right side!
These are just the appetizers. There are much more important areas where it is easy to get things wrong even if we don’t admit it or won’t consider it.
No one gets married thinking they will get divorced because they know “this is the right person”.
No one plans to become an addict because they know ”I can handle this”.
No one wants to blow up their finances, believing things are fine, because “I know what I am doing”.
We don’t plan to be wrong, we don’t want to be wrong and often we never consider if we could be wrong. But being wrong still happens.
It takes humility to admit I might be wrong. It takes wisdom to learn from a mistake.
Everyone has to make a choice. Would you rather be humble and wise or convince yourself you are always right (even though you are definitely wrong about some things)?
One other critical area of life where you don’t want to be wrong is what you think when it comes to God. Are you right about God?
What do you think about when you think of God? Literally everyone has opinion about this. Who he is, what he thinks about you, what he is doing (or not doing), even if he exists.
Everyone has an opinion about Jesus. Where did your ideas come from? Was it from your parents, a friend, your own experiences?
I have talked with a lot of people about Jesus in my life. In my informal survey most of people’s ideas about who Jesus is come from 3 places
1) Media – news, TV shows, movies and what famous people say about God. This is basically popular opinion stuff. Often showing people who claim to know and follow God in either positive (sometimes) or negative (most of the time) situations.
2) My own head – I have always thought God is….., I really want God to be….fill in the blank. Our own expectations about what God could or should be like actually have a big impact on what we think God is like.
3) I know a guy (or a girl) – Someone who claims to know about God. I formed many of my opinions about God based on what they say and what they do. They claim to know God so I draw my assumptions about God from the people who say they represent him.
All of these can obviously be positive or negative, accurate or flawed.
One of the most popular people in America in 2021 is Morgan Freeman. You can find out all kinds of info about him with a google search, you can watch his movies, you can read articles about him.
The best way to get it right when it comes to Morgan Freeman is to listen to him talk about himself. Let him share what he values, what motivates him and what he sees as his purpose.
When it comes to God, you can know instead of guessing. Jesus is God’s heart on display. What is God like?
He is the compassion Jesus displays when he elevates the role of women, values children, heals the sick and feeds the hungry.
He is the friend who shows up when no one else will. He shatters the loneliness and disconnect so many feel by being present, not distracted. He never checks His phone when you are with Him.
He is never embarrassed or put off by you, even when you have blown it. He doesn’t wink at your failures but he doesn’t keep you at a distance. He is not looking to punish but to start fresh.
He is gentle not harsh, he is humble and approachable. He doesn’t shy away from you He invites you in. He never looks through you to see who else is coming in, He insists you come and sit with Him.
Check out What’s He Like to find out more about how Jesus describes himself.
This isn’t an idealized description of Jesus, it is how Jesus, and those who knew him best, describe Him. This is what he values, what motivates him and what he sees as his purpose.
It turns out, if this is what Jesus is like, I got some things wrong. How about you?
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