What if the very thing you’re rejecting holds the insight you need?

We’ve all been there caught in a disagreement, emotions rising, walls going up. And in those moments, it’s easier to shut everything down than to sort through what’s being said. Instead of listening, we dismiss it all.

Sometimes, we truly don’t agree with anything the other person is saying. But other times, there are pieces of truth buried within their words things worth holding onto. The challenge is that we often become so closed off, we don’t even pause long enough to recognize them.

I see this happen often, especially when it comes to religion. There may be beliefs we strongly disagree with, and instead of separating what resonates from what doesn’t, we reject it all. Over time, I’ve learned the value of simply agreeing to disagree and moving on while still keeping an open mind. That openness creates space to learn something new, or at the very least, to better understand how someone arrived at their beliefs.

Many times, a person’s perspective is shaped by their life experiences, and those experiences deeply influence what they believe. In Christianity, the Bible serves as a foundation. But beyond that, a personal relationship with God gives deeper meaning to those beliefs. When you’ve experienced God for yourself, your faith becomes personal and rooted. It’s no longer just about what you’ve been told or even what you’ve read, it’s about what you know through experience.

Those personal encounters shape how we see God and how we see ourselves. They ground our faith in a way that can’t easily be shaken.

At the same time, it’s important to acknowledge that people can interpret the Bible in ways that suit their own perspectives—and sometimes even misunderstand it entirely. There are things we won’t always understand, and pride can keep us from admitting that (Proverbs 16:18). In those moments, we’re called to lean not on our own understanding, but to seek God for clarity.

Even when there isn’t a direct answer in front of us, we can turn to His Word for guidance and ask Him to reveal what we don’t yet understand.

We serve a merciful, all-knowing God one we can come to at any time (Hebrews 4:13). A God who does not fail. A God we can trust, even when life doesn’t make sense (Proverbs 3:5–6). And through that trust, we come to a deeper confidence in what we believe and why we believe it.

As we grow in that truth, we’re also called to walk in humility (Matthew 23:12).

So, in the midst of disagreements, conversations, and differing beliefs stay open, stay humble, and remember:

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.

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