I Was Wrong (about so much)

When I look back at over seventy years of life, I see a whole lot of things I was wrong about.

Mostly this was because I just accepted what I was taught by parents, peers, school, and church. Most of those folks were not intentionally lying to me, they were just sharing the lies and misinformation they have been taught. I swallowed it and then gave it to others, passing on the problem.

Then at about the age of forty, I started to check what I had been told. Among other things, I started to check various doctrines against what the Bible actually says. I was shocked at how many common doctrines can’t be found in the Bible. Even worse, some were contrary to what the Bible says. Some were off by a little, some by a great deal.

When I started doing marriage ministry we found more of the same. And when I started dealing with sex it was horrible. And it wasn’t just things being unbiblical, much of what was spouted as common knowledge was at best unsupported and often contrary to good science or expert experience.

I was wrong about a lot of things. And after decades of trying to find my errors I know I still have some. For me finding the truth is a lifelong journey that can’t end. It’s not always comfortable, but I think we should all be this way. In fact, God seems to feel that way:

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” [Acts 17:11 ESV]

God has no problem with you checking what people claim He said. In fact, He expects you to do so! Since we know no one is infallible, it seems prudent to check on what is said. If someone has a good track record you can be a bit laxer, but even then it never hurts to verify things. Anyone who gets upset that you check what they say about is showing insecurity or that they don’t really want the truth if it’s not what they think.

BTW, learning to be kind about this is an important part of it. Sometimes that means finding the truth for yourself and letting it go, not correcting the person who gave you the bad information. Not all errors demand correction.

Rev. Dan Polecheck
Universal Life Church Ministries