This morning as I was drinking my coffee and listening to NPR, I heard a segment on Abraham Lincoln and one of the researchers was talking about how unusual he was as a politician because he was a tried and true “flip-flopper.” Yes, Abraham Lincoln was one who changed his mind and not just once or twice. The author of the segment was commenting on how much more difficult it would have been for him today as a politician because of our intolerance of those in the political arena who have the nerve to change their minds on an issue. Most of us remember when John Kerry was accused of being a “flip-flopper” and how negatively the accusation affected his campaign for President.
When I heard it stated so clearly this morning, I had two thoughts simultaneously: 1)no wonder Abraham Lincoln was such a powerful leader and 2)no wonder we can’t get anywhere in politics today other than further into the tight mess of gridlock. When did it become so wrong to change one’s mind? Think about the alternative. The alternative is that we never change our minds and the implication is that we are 100% right about everything all of the time. How absurd! A second implication, but no less important, is that we know we are wrong but simply refuse to admit it publicly. How equally absurd!
As a pastor, a spouse, a mother, a daughter, and a spiritual being, I take great comfort in how often I have had to change my mind about issues, beliefs, people, and the “right way.” When I change my mind about something or someone, I interpret it to mean that I am growing in either knowledge or in my experience or in understanding. You cannot imagine how much I have changed my mind and heart and life over the years. Rather than see the changes as a detriment, I have seen them as signs that I am alive and God is alive and the world is alive and we are all constantly interacting in a way that none of us remain the same.
In spiritual terms, Jesus used to talk about believing the Good News and repenting. Not many of us love the word repentance because it brings up harsh images for those who grew up in very conservative or fundamentalist faith communities. At it’s heart, though, it is a word that invites us to turn ourselves around and go in a different direction. What a great invitation! We are invited to examine ourselves and our lives and when necessary to change our minds and hearts and go in a new or different direction.
If you had a pastor, wouldn’t you want to know she or he is open and listening and ready to be changed at any moment? I would. To not be open to change is to be full of false pride and full of oneself. Why wouldn’t we want the same for our politicians? In fact, why wouldn’t we demand the same from our politicians? The world is constantly changing and we are given new and different information almost constantly. Any living, breathing, interested, curious, humble, and mindful human being is going to change her or his mind and not just once. So, let’s start voting for the flip-floppers and change the climate for politicians and politics in our country. If they know we value change and the changing of one’s mind and heart, maybe they will really begin to listen to one another and to us, the public. It’s worth a try!