As a child, I remember a lot of scrapes and cuts that came from playing outside. I also remember my mother and my grandmother treating those with the mercurochrome which was always in our house and seemed to be quite ubiquitous during those younger years. There would always be some part of my body stained red from its use. Of course, it’s no longer available as one of the primary working agents is mercury, not a safe substance to play with.

 

I also suffered from some regular stomach issues. The doctor prescribed paregoric and it was extremely effective. I used it well into my teenage years. That too has been removed from the shelves because it was an opiate derivative. It’s amazing to think that we used that primarily for children and now it’s completely restricted.

 

My doctor was a good person and he provided excellent care. I seemed quite susceptible to colds and flu, and he would frequently treat me with antibiotics. Of course, we no longer recommend that as a first step, and yes, I do have some resistance to antibiotics because of the frequency in which I used them when I was younger.

 

In all these situations and so many more, no one set out to harm me. In fact, they were working hard to help me get better. They used the knowledge they had at the time, and they applied it appropriately . In all fairness, it worked and there was no reason to question their actions. Of course, as our knowledge has grown and as we have discovered more insight, we’ve changed the way that we treat certain situations and we’ve changed the medications that we use.

 

It is important to note that in every situation, people did their best, and they were right based upon all they understood at the time. I cannot look back with any sense of blame nor should anyone hold guilt for the methods and treatments they used. People acted based upon the knowledge that was passed down to them, which was good knowledge, but not complete. This principle is true for many areas of our life, not only medical treatment.

 

It is especially true in our understanding of scripture and our faith. Much excellent knowledge has been passed down through generations and has helped us stand strong and pursue the mission Jesus gave us. Still, there is always room for us to grow in our understanding. The Bible actually encourages us to do this. In 2 Peter, we are encouraged to pursue more knowledge and insight regarding our faith. “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” (2 Peter 3:18). Our faith and understanding is not to remain stagnant, but to continue growing.

 

As we learn and experience more, we refine the wisdom passed on to us and become more faithful to the scripture and to Jesus himself. In some places, this means small adjustments to clarify what we already know, but in other places, it may require us to replace things we’ve held on to for a long time in order to be healthier in our spiritual knowledge and wisdom. This does not insult those who passed their truth on to us, nor does it invalidate the effectiveness of what is already in place. Just as medical knowledge changed our treatments, causing us to let go of some things and embracing better things, we may need to let go of some things that are dear to us, but are not as helpful or as accurate as they can be.

 

It can be very difficult to let go of beliefs we’ve held for a long time, end that have been passed down to us by people we love and trust. It can feel like we are abandoning our faith, and it can produce fear. The truth is we are expanding our understanding of who Jesus is and what he taught us to believe and do. We are not ripping out the moorings of our faith, instead, we are making our faith more secure and more effective.

 

For many of us, we were raised not to ask questions, not to challenge beliefs, and not to venture too far from the doctrines we inherited. Unfortunately, this often came with a great deal of fear, the fear that we would be abandoning the faith and turning our backs on God. But God does not give us a spirit of fear. In fact, we are promised a spirit of wisdom, of love, and of a sound mind. We should not be quick to let go of what we’ve learned, but we should be open to the knowledge that we may be wrong, or that are understandings need to grow.

 

As I included in the name of this blog, we are meant to have a thinking faith. We are not meant to merely parrot back what we’ve heard others say. Instead, we are to pursue the truth, engaging the scriptures and allowing the Holy Spirit to teach us everything. Sometimes, that is risky and a little frightening, but it leads to a richer and more meaningful faith in Christ. Let us continue to reason together as we continue our journey.