Member-only story
It’s Alright to Be Wrong
I used to depend on being right. I built myself upon the rock of my rightness! Hours were spent researching supporting claims for my collection of rights. I wrote so many words trying to help others understand my understanding. I was brimming with sureness, but it was the kind of fullness that drains. My certainty kept me from seeking. My proselytizing kept me from hearing good preaching. My abundance of absolutes left me spiritually and mentally impoverished. Empty and undone, I cast about for a new way to be. If knowing I was right didn’t sustain me, maybe it was time to begin the work of understanding where I was wrong. I stopped testifying and started questioning.
What am I wrong about right now?
I find the answer by testing the lines that cut across me. Was that line laid for me by a harmful culture, by prejudice, by fear? Or is it a healthy barrier, a considered conviction, a humane help? I take these questions in both hands and press down. If the line cracks, it was faulty. If it holds, it’s a support. Some of my convictions remain after the push, but many of them have not been able to bear the pressure. It’s okay. Being wrong doesn’t mean you’re not alright, it just means you’re not all-knowing.
An incomplete list of things I’ve been wrong about:
