Why Some Get It… and Some Don’t

There are times when I run across people and wonder what they are thinking especially when it comes to the idea of faith in God.

And we have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us. When we tell you these things, we do not use words that come from human wisdom. Instead, we speak words given to us by the Spirit, using the Spirit’s words to explain spiritual truths. But people who aren’t spiritual can’t receive these truths from God’s Spirit. It all sounds foolish to them, and they can’t understand it, for only those who are spiritual can understand what the Spirit means.” - 1 Corinthians 2:12-14 NLT

Reflection

Paul says something here that, if you really think about it, explains a lot. Some people hear truth about God and it lands. It connects. It feels right. Others hear the exact same thing and it sounds off. Maybe even foolish.

That used to confuse me. Honestly, it used to frustrate me. I would think, how do you not see this? It feels so clear. You try to explain it a different way, maybe say it a little better, maybe use a different example… and nothing changes. It just doesn’t land. Over time I’ve come to see that it’s not really about how well something is explained. It’s about whether someone is able to receive it at all.

Paul points to something deeper. He’s saying there is a difference between understanding something with your mind and receiving something spiritually. Those are not the same thing. And once you start to see that, it changes how you approach people. It becomes less about trying to convince and more about recognizing where someone might be in their walk. Not judging it. Just seeing it for what it is.

I also think there is some level of growth that happens here over time. Not in a ranking way. Not like one person is better than another. But in the sense that the more time you spend in the Word, the more things start to open up. You read something you’ve read before and it hits differently. You catch something you completely missed the last ten times.

That’s been true for me. Verses I skimmed over years ago now stop me. Not because they changed. Because I did. And that’s an interesting thing to sit with. God didn’t move. The words didn’t move. Something in me shifted enough to finally see it.

So maybe that’s the point. God meets each of us where we are, but He doesn’t leave us there. He reveals what we are ready to receive. Not everything at once. Not more than we can handle. But enough to keep moving forward. You can go as far as you’re willing to go. And that willingness matters more than anything else. Because if there’s a ceiling, it’s usually not coming from Him. It’s coming from how open we are. How much time we’re willing to spend. How honest we’re willing to be about what we’re seeing… or not seeing.

I don’t think this is about figuring other people out. It’s more about checking myself. Am I open? Am I paying attention? Or am I just reading words and moving on?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for how You reveal things over time. Thank You for meeting me where I am and still calling me forward. Keep me open, willing, and paying attention. Help me not miss what You’re trying to show me. I pray this in the name of Jesus my Savior and Lord. Amen.