It's okay to change your mind.

It was just last year when I came to realize it was permissible, and perhaps even unavoidable, to change my mind about what I believe. As a classic Enneagram 1, I’m relentlessly consistent; I will review all sides of an issue, but when I decide what I believe, I pretty much dig my heels in the sand with my decision and make my home there. “This is what I decree and believe from henceforth until forevermore.” Consistent, and stubborn. That’s me.

But like a lot of people, the past 18 months of being at home, having more space and time alone with my thoughts (and being in Portland where the ish has really hit the fan), I’ve begun to re-evaluate my beliefs and ideologies about a lot of things. Well, really, all the things. To be honest, I am right smack dab in the middle of undoubtedly the most massive transformation of my life, and I have no idea where it will end or what will be left of me on the other end. Consistent, stubborn, and maybe a tad dramatic.

In case you need to hear this, too: it’s okay to change your mind. It’s perfectly okay to outgrow ideologies, mindsets, beliefs, and habits that no longer fit you. It’s okay, and even necessary, to gain understanding and knowledge and perspective that you didn’t previously have, and with that, to shift your mindset. I’m not talking about abandoning truth for whatever we feel is right or whatever “truth” gels with us, but instead, realizing that maybe what we previously knew was only a part of the truth, and therefore it’s possible to grow in a deeper level of truth and understanding that expands our convictions.

It’s okay to change your mind. It’s healthy to shed layers of skin that have grown calloused and weak, to reveal facets of truth underneath that were once unclear. As seen with many species in nature, this kind of renewal is an important part of the life cycle. In the Christian life, just as our physical bodies regenerate regularly, so should our minds. In this way, as Paul talks about in Ephesians, we “put off our old self, which is being corrupted by deceitful desires, to be made new in the attitude of our minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”

I grew up in a white, conservative Evangelical Southern family, and as a result, was indoctrinated from a young age to hold certain ideologies about different groups of people. And because 99% of the people I was surrounded by looked and believed just like me, though I recognized the unhealth to a small degree, I never seriously questioned a lot of these beliefs until the past couple of years. But now, as a result of reflection and repentance, I no longer reflexively lock my car doors when I see a Black man walking down the street; instead, I look him in the face and see him in the eyes—as a person and not a threat. When I see a woman wearing a hijab, I no longer automatically see an ideology that threatens my safety. I see a woman who experiences many of the same challenges that I do on a daily basis. When I watch footage of Afghans clinging to a U.S. military plane, instead of seeing terrorists trying to invade our land or searching for a leader on which to place blame, I see moms and dads desperate to keep their children safe from harm. Instead of warriors wielding weapons and white flags, I see souls in desperate need of a Savior. Empathy has paved the way for me to step outside my current level of understanding, and love has led me to view others, not as a general stereotype, but as fellow beings made in the image of God, to see and accept their humanity. It’s allowed me to shed false beliefs and clothe myself with truth.

It’s okay to change our minds; it’s both a sign of humility and of maturity to recognize that we haven’t had all the answers, and still don’t. It’s even okay to be wrong (even when my Enneagram 1 cringes at the thought). It’s more than okay to step outside our own mindsets, to listen to the experiences and pain of others, to realize that we didn’t have the whole story, and to adjust accordingly. In Romans 12, Paul tells us it’s imperative that we not conform to the patterns of thinking of this world—traditions and ideologies passed down through the bloodline or culture—and instead be transformed by the renewing of our minds, our thoughts, our beliefs—because it is through this process of renewal that we can then uncover what the true will of God is.

In that same passage, I find it interesting that Paul links this exhortation with our responsibility to community; he encourages us not to think too highly of ourselves—we shouldn’t pridefully presume that we alone have all fragments of life figured out. We shouldn’t dare to believe we know all the things but instead recognize that we are a part of a larger body, and though we are all different, we BELONG to each other. We are called to be DEVOTED to one another and honor one another above ourselves. We cannot be more devoted to our ideologies and beliefs of our origin than we are to one another.

So it’s okay to change our minds. To realize the eyebrow has a perspective the pinky toe doesn’t, and it’s important to listen lest we trip over something ahead that we couldn’t see from our vantage point. It’s the system God created us to live within, and it’s how we keep the whole body healthy.

This transformation has left no realm of ideology untouched. It’s reached past my teeter-tottering on the fence of political partisanism or tightening my grip on Christian nationalism and revealed my belonging and allegiance to a different Kingdom altogether. Instead of dying on a hill piled high with cloth masks and vaccine syringes, I’ve recognized that loving my neighbor means deferring to the comfort and safety of others and honoring them above myself. Instead of standing tight-fisted for my own personal rights, I’ve been challenged to lay down my rights when it leads to peace with my neighbor. It has meant less time scrolling through different social media agendas and searching out sources of real truth. Less idolizing spiritual leaders and more acknowledging their own humanity and imperfections and instead clinging to the person of Christ to transform me from the inside out.

What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the past year? Let me know in the comments!