Many years ago, I came up with the phrase, “You are the most dangerous to the Kingdom of God when you’re right.” It stemmed from a time when being “right” was very important. Today, I admit I’m not right about many things. In fact, I’ve often been wrong. The real issue is that when you’re right, you shut your mind off to others. When you’re right, others’ opinions become irrelevant. It doesn’t matter what you’re right about. You can believe you’re right about God, politics, sports, or any other topic and still cause a lot of hurt and pain in others’ lives.

If I’ve learned anything in life, it’s that having a teachable spirit and an open mind are essential. This is part of what it means to be a lifelong learner. When you’re right, you stop learning. Being right often means sticking to your opinions, and if you’ve lived long enough, you know that everyone has an opinion about everything. When you’re convinced you’re right, you stop listening and can turn people away.

So how do you handle people who are right all the time? The first thing you shouldn’t do is try to correct them. If you’ve done that, you probably learned it’s pointless. Personally, I’ve learned to just walk away. The best response is to have no response at all. Saying something like, “I’m sorry you feel that way” might be the best you can do, and then simply walk away. Some say that arguing with someone who’s always right is like talking to a fool. 

The Bible has much to say about fools. One of my favorites is “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” (Proverbs 1:7). Practicing wisdom and discipline can seem difficult for some, but I wonder if the real reason is laziness. You see, being right doesn’t require any effort to change. After all, if you’re right, then you’ve already arrived. Learning and growing, however, require effort and discipline. Think about it.