Progress! I actually followed through with a response that I advocate! Talking with a gal from church after the service, I sought clarification in her response to a question I posed BEFORE advancing the conversation.
It was a simple query. “Did you enjoy the sermon?” Her reply surprised me. “Yes, but I find I have to be open-minded and have faith.”
In the past, I have come to understand that when someone asserts that we must not settle on a position, but remain ‘open-minded’, that they are actually employing a euphemism to mean, “No view is right or wrong!”
Without fail, upon sensing a dissenting worldview, my retort has bristled with a bit of TONE. And worse, I have immediately lobbed MY point of view on the topic back to my conversational partner.
This time, maybe due to the ‘holy space’ we found ourselves in having come from worshipping God, I posed the simple but VERY helpful question, “What do you mean by ‘open-minded’?”
Her explanation took me by surprise. “I have to work hard to pay attention and carefully follow what is being preached. I tend to drift off otherwise!”
This dear older gal wasn’t using the term ‘open-minded’ to mean anything other than ‘distracted’!
Whew! ‘Thank you, Father!’ my spirit uttered as I continued the conversation. It turns out that she found the sermon to be just as rich and nourishing as I had.
I am SO glad I paused and solicited further meaning.
Surprised by Logic 
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