What If I'm Wrong?

                                                               What If I’m Wrong?

What began as a significant blow to my ego and self-confidence has become an effective ministry tool where I am able to see things from God’s perspective.  During our last 6 months in Cameroon many things happened that caused me to wonder if people were losing their minds.  Issues would arise, discussions would ensue, and I was convinced that I held the only rational opinion possible.  Each time I would push the issue to a point and drop it...thus walking away wondering why they didn’t see things my way.  You can probably guess how that went.

Admittedly, I have a history of liking to be right.  Some have found it difficult to argue with me because I’m able to make my point and regrettably I have often had an intolerance for the insanity of the other so-called opinions.  But what happened in Cameroon shook me to my core... “What if I’m wrong?”  I know...perish the thought, but it was brought to my mind and no doubt by the Holy Spirit.  Immediately, this caused me to shut my mouth.  If I ran into a disagreement, that statement would resound through my brain and I began to shut down.  It was very unsettling.  So, maybe the world wasn’t losing their collective minds....I was.

Fortunately, this period ended for awhile but it has recently come to my mind again.  I believe I’m in a healthier place to look at this concept more objectively and it really does have biblical precedent.  The first verse that that I think of is 1 Corinthians 10:12  “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!”  Over confidence is a dangerous thing.  We always need to be checked because our motives are not pure and the truth of the matter is not always as crystal clear as we would like to believe.

The verse that shook me to my core 27 years ago is Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.” I won’t bore you with the details but it involved a woman and a broken relationship.  Sobriety in the thinking of ourselves is a daily recipe for contributing to a realistic assessment of our whole persona.

Proverbs 17:28, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues.” Supposedly Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain paraphrased this verse by saying, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.”  I understand these to communicate that when we push our opinions in a tenacious manner or create an atmosphere where any objection is untenable, then we become the fool that Solomon, Abraham or Mark observed.

Suffice it to say, I am still learning when to speak and when to be silent.  Because this experience has been so profound in my life, I have been alerted to it in others.  It’s a gift to have the Holy Spirit reveal such a painful characteristic, but I hope it will be useful to others.  Don’t wait to experience the anguish of the destruction that this self-righteous attitude can cause.  Be willing to ask, in any and every situation, “What if I’m wrong?”  I know, sometimes...actually most of the time, if you’re like me...it will seem ludicrous, but it may save a relationship.  It may enable you to become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in other areas of your life.  And, yes, that may lead to more self-discovery which is not always pleasant at first.

A companion question to “What if I’m wrong?” is “Then how is the way you are approaching the situation working for you?” or “How’s that workin’ for ya?”  I know, it’s been overused and can be obnoxious, but the question should be asked because we must be willing to look at the carnage in our wake as we push and push and push our selfish, unbending, and undiscerning attitudes.  The probable answers are, “Not very well.”  “Disastrous.” “Awful.”

Finally, we come to the point of repentance...that is what it’s called.  A place where we recognize that we hate that part of ourselves.  We hate what it’s doing to our relationships and we want to change.  We confidently come before the throne of our Savior who through the Holy Spirit revealed the issue to begin with and will see this work through to completion.  It’s hard.  It hurts. But it’s good. 

“...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.”  Philippians 1:6


P.S.
It just occurred to me that some might immediately think,”Oh so and so ought to read this, they really need to hear this.”  Don’t do it. If it struck a chord, let it settle into your soul before you pass it on and make sure you do it with the right motive.