The other day, I was sitting with a friend when our conversation slowly found its way to church.
We talked about different churches, worship, and the experiences that make some people feel at home while making others feel uncomfortable.
Then my friend said, almost casually, “Churches where people speak in tongues are too much for me.”
I smiled.
Not because I disagreed with him.
I smiled because his words took me back to a version of myself I had almost forgotten.
There was a time when I felt the same way.
I remember watching people pray in tongues and feeling unsure. I did not understand what was happening. It felt unfamiliar, and because it felt unfamiliar, I quietly decided it was not for me.
I had formed a conclusion before I had taken the time to learn.
Years later, I began reading more. I asked questions. I listened. Slowly, I realized that my discomfort had not always come from something being wrong; sometimes, it came from not understanding it.
As my friend continued speaking, I did not feel the need to argue.
I simply listened.
Perhaps we have all done this at some point.
We encounter something different and quickly place it in a box.
Too much.
Too strange.
Too emotional.
Too unfamiliar.
Then we walk away without asking what we might have missed.
That conversation stayed with me long after we had changed the subject.
As I walked away, I thought about how easily we confuse unfamiliarity with error.
Maybe wisdom is not always having the answer.
Maybe sometimes, wisdom is being humble enough to say:
“I do not understand this yet; but I am willing to learn.”