“This willingness to appropriate truth from any and all sources is indeed a commendable tendency to appear among religious believers during the first half of the twentieth century after Christ.” 94:12.4 (1041.2)
There is a subtle danger in believing that we already possess all the truth we need. Once our beliefs become part of our identity, new ideas can feel threatening rather than enlightening. We may automatically reject something because it comes from a different tradition, a different culture, a different generation, or even from someone we disagree with. But a growing spiritual life develops another instinct: Is there truth here that I can learn from?
That doesn't mean accepting everything indiscriminately. Spiritual maturity isn't the absence of discernment; it is the development of better discernment. We can listen without surrendering our judgment. We can question without becoming cynical. We can appreciate another person's insight without abandoning our own convictions. In everyday life, this might mean genuinely listening to a colleague's perspective, learning from someone younger than us, discovering wisdom in another culture, or allowing an unexpected experience to challenge an assumption we have carried for years.
Think about how often we encounter truth in places we weren't expecting it. A difficult person may teach us patience. A child may reveal simplicity. Someone with completely different beliefs may demonstrate extraordinary compassion. A professional failure may teach us humility. A book outside our usual interests may introduce an idea that changes the way we see the world. Truth doesn't always arrive wearing the label we expected. Sometimes the spiritually mature response is simply to recognize it when it appears.
This is particularly important in our relationship with God. If the universe is larger than our current understanding, then spiritual growth should naturally involve expansion. We don't need to be threatened by greater truth. We can approach life with both conviction and humility: I believe what I understand today, while remaining willing to understand more tomorrow. That attitude transforms faith from a closed system into a living journey of discovery.
And perhaps this is one of the most practical expressions of spiritual humility: being more interested in discovering truth than in proving that we are right. Imagine what would happen to our conversations, our relationships, our workplaces, and even our communities if we approached one another with that attitude.
When was the last time you encountered an unexpected source of truth that changed the way you saw something?