About every four weeks, I feel fairly ignorant. That’s because the barbershop where I, an ethnically white man, get my hair cut is not a predominately white place. The owners are Black, the barbers are mostly Black, and most of the clientele is Black. Thus, with every single fade, I am faced with my own ignorance. There are words I don’t know, cultural references I don’t get, and expressions that are unknown to me. That gap between their knowledge and mine means I can either smile and nod like I get it or swallow hard and admit I don’t.

Have you ever felt that way around other Christians? Maybe they take notes in church, soaking in the sermon, but you don’t really understand what is being taught. Or they have 16 things to say at Bible study, but you are still trying to figure out what verse 1 means. Sooner or later, you’ll be next to Christians who know more than you, which means you’ll face the same pressure that I do at the barbershop.

This wisdom applies in such moments: “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up” (James 4:10). People who fake it and act more intelligent than they are rarely rise up to new levels of faith. But those who are humble enough to admit their ignorance are lifted up and learn more about Jesus.

No one wants to feel like the only one in the room who doesn’t get it. But honesty is always the best policy, especially when it helps you learn more about grace.