Use this Door Please

One of the doors leading to our fellowship hall and office area is currently not working as intended. The company who services the doors patched it up, but they advised us not to use it regularly until they can get the part they need for it. So, our secretary put a little sign on the other door which says, “Use this door please.” 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen someone, including myself, tug at the other door before sighing, shaking their head while smiling to themselves, and then opening up the correct door. 

Isn’t it interesting that a sign with just four words can be overlooked or forgotten about because of our traditions (going in the other door), forgetfulness, or even misreading the sign? 

Is it any wonder that people do the same thing to the Bible? 

We misread a passage (or maybe overlook one altogether) because of our traditions. The way we were always taught it may gives us blinders when we read a particular text. My friend told me of a time when he quoted a passage to someone and they just knew that Paul never said something like that. This was a man who had read the New Testament countless times, but his views and inherited traditions stopped him from seeing what was right in front of him. 

It also might be that we simply forget something about the Bible. It could be that we don’t read it often, and one day we come across a passage that we’ve probably read before, but, for whatever reason, we don’t really read it until that moment. 

Sometimes we just misread a scripture. Maybe our mind autocorrects a word or phrase to fit with what we typically believe. It could be that we don’t read slowly enough to digest what is actually being said. We might also be unaware of the context, so we miss what the writer was trying to say. Regardless, misreading is not an intentional thing, but it can happen. 

Has there been a time when you were surprised what the Bible actually said? Have you heard something your whole life, but because of traditions, maybe the version you used, or some other factor caused you to not really hear? Leave a comment! Maybe someone who reads it will pick up on an insight they have missed.