Tag: humility

“I Could Be Wrong…”

by Rev. Deb Beloved Church

As an Edgar Abbey character famously said, “I thought I was wrong once, but I found out later I was mistaken.”

So it’s not just me who thinks so highly of themselves! Me? Wrong about something? Nah!

My opinions are so well-thought-out; my perspectives, so sincere! My thinking is so thoughtful; my analyses, so all-encompassing!

If you were open-minded enough, if you were more loving, surely you’d come to the same conclusions as I have…

Who’s with me??

Apparently not the 8th-century BCE Israelite prophet Micah, who famously declared: “God has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8)

In a course we’re using at White Rock Presbyterian Church (“The After Party: Toward Better Christian Politics”), David French, one of the course facilitators, characterizes humility, in part, as “this understanding that I could be wrong about any given issue.”

That way of thinking seems a far cry from how many, if not most, of us (myself included) think–particularly at this time in the life of our country.

Many, if not most, of us struggle to consistently engage with others with that kind of mindset–with an acknowledgement that we might be wrong, with a recognition that we do not fully understand all of the complexities of any given issue.Many, if not most, of us struggle to reliably show up in the world with this version of humility.

But it is so desperately needed. And for us who claim to be people of faith, not only does the world desperately need it, but according to Micah, our God unquestionably requires it.

So how do we move in that direction?

I think one way is for us to simply say those words out loud: “I could be wrong.”

And then say them again–into the mirror, to a loved one, while we’re driving, while we’re taking in the news, while we’re rehearsing our arguments in support of our clearly right views on any given topic.

“I could be wrong.”

“I could be wrong.”

“I could be wrong.”

…and then show up in the world, show up in conversations, show up in relationships, from that place, in that mental space, with that perspective guiding us. And see what happens…

And in the meantime, we can try to remember that we and “the other(s)” (whether they agree with us or dare to think differently…!) are God’s beloved. We and they are God’s beloved. Perhaps that, too, bears repeating—in the mirror, to a loved one, while we’re taking in the news, etc.

All of us, in all of our incomplete understandings and our complexity and our arrogance and our woeful lack of true humility, are fundamentally loved by God. Period. We all are God’s beloved. And that just might be enough to bind us together. Or at least give us reason to consider, “I could be wrong…”

Will you walk with me on this path toward humility? It’s so desperately needed.

The Gift of Curiosity

The Cat Is Just Fine

by Karen Richter

Were you taught that curiosity is something to be squashed or tamed? that curiosity is somehow unseemly or rude? that instead it’s important to pretend that you know about things? Have we always valued expertise over curiosity?

I’ve decided to embrace curiosity and to encourage others to let their curiosity run wild.  It’s good for you…

Curiosity = openness.

I read a book recently about the questions that Jesus asked. He’s a little like your high school English teacher who always responded to a question with another question. Our scriptures are full of questions. Here’s a favorite of mine from the Psalms:

When I look at your skies,
at what your fingers made –
   the moon and the stars
   that you set firmly in place –
            what are human beings
            that you think about them;
            what are human beings
            that you pay attention to them?

It’s difficult to be spiritual if you’re not curious. This is a way (one way among many!) that our faith encourages us to be counter-cultural. In our accomplishment achievement go-get-it information economy, it’s good thing to have answers, knowledge, certainty. Our way of openness, humility, and curiosity seems a little strange, even a bit naïve or childlike.

Curiosity engenders humility.

When we know that there are things that we want to learn, we can be humble about the limits of our own knowledge. Jesus calls us to learn:

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” ~Matthew 11

Curiosity reminds us to listen.

I find that a healthy curiosity about the spiritual path and experiences of others brings me to a listening posture.  This is the power of Humans of New York, listening projects, Story Corps, and human libraries. We all want to know what we have in common with others and in what ways our paths are unique.

Listening is hard work; curiosity can help.

Curiosity opens pathways to maturity.

What do you do with questions that can’t be answered with Google? I remember talking with a woman in a Bible study with me at our traditional United Methodist church in the Deep South… she was maybe 75 years old and described herself as a seeker. Learning, growing, changing in all of life’s seasons – what a gift!

What are you curious about today? What are you hungry for? Where are you stretching?

In our common life together in the Southwest Conference, where is our shared curiosity? Where are we striving to learn and grow? What are we hungry to become?