I have been on both sides of the conversation.
The one who just discovered something in Scripture that felt unmistakably clear and wondered why everyone else did not see it the same way.
And the one who quietly thought, “I am not there yet.”
I think that sentence carries more humility than we realize.
Because most of us are somewhere on a road. And not all of us are at the same mile marker.
When we open the Gospel of Mark, we see the same pattern in the disciples. By Mark 6, they have already witnessed what seems undeniable.
Demons cast out.
Storms silenced.
Thousands fed from almost nothing.
Then Jesus walks on water. He enters the boat, the wind ceases, and Mark writes:
“For they did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:52)
They were near Jesus but still unclear about who He truly was.
Not impostors.
Not enemies.
Just disciples in progress.
A few chapters later, Jesus asks them directly:
“Who do you say that I am?” (Mark 8:29)
Peter answers:
“You are the Christ.”
The fog begins to lift.
But almost immediately, Peter rebukes Jesus when He predicts His suffering. He understood the title but not the mission.
Clarity had begun.
Completion had not arrived.
And that tension should comfort us.
It is not until after the resurrection that everything settles into place. Luke records:
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” (Luke 24:45)
He opened their minds.
Understanding was not achieved. It was given.
And if clarity is given, then pride has no rightful place in it.
Yet pride is the quiet danger on this road.
Once we begin to see more clearly, it is easy to look back and think, How could they not see what I see?
The disciples did something similar. Even as they followed Jesus, they argued about who was greatest. Growth was happening, but so was ego.
Spiritual maturity without humility turns into spiritual arrogance.
And arrogance divides faster than disagreement ever could.
Often the sharpest conflicts among believers are not rooted in heresy but in impatience.
We forget how long it took us.
We forget who bore with us.
We forget that we are still being taught.
If the disciples grew gradually, our posture toward one another should reflect that.
Lead with humility.
If Christ must open the mind, none of us arrived on our own.
Speak truth gently.
Conviction does not require condescension.
Allow space for growth.
Not everyone sees at the same speed.
Stay teachable.
If the apostles needed further revelation after walking with Jesus, how much more do we?
This does not mean we shrink from truth. It means we carry it carefully.
Because somewhere, someone is quietly saying, “I am not there yet.”
And if we are honest, there are still places where we are saying the same thing.
The disciples followed Jesus long before they fully understood Him.
They stumbled.
They feared.
They misunderstood.
They grew.
And Jesus did not abandon them in their confusion.
He walked with them until clarity came.
Maybe that is our model.
We walk with one another.
We teach patiently.
We listen carefully.
We trust the Spirit to reveal what only He can.
Until we see Christ face to face, all of us remain travelers somewhere between confusion and clarity.
So we extend grace.
Because someone once extended it to us.
And because even now, we are still walking the road ourselves.
…just a thought.
