As believers, we turn to the Bible for guidance, comfort, and inspiration. But let’s be real, there are definitely some passages that make us feel pretty uncomfortable or even hurt and offended. Maybe you’re questioning why God would allow suffering or struggling to reconcile a tough teaching with your own beliefs.
However, by leaning into the discomfort, we can actually gain a deeper understanding of ourselves, our faith, and our relationship with God. Discomfort is a natural part of growth and learning. When we encounter ideas or experiences that challenge us, we’re forced to confront our own assumptions and biases. This process can be uncomfortable, but it’s also essential if we want to grow and mature as individuals.
The Passages That Don’t Sit Right
The Bible is full of beauty, hope, and encouragement. But it also contains passages that are difficult to process—verses about suffering, judgment, and, at times, the role of women. For many of us, the tension doesn’t just come from the text itself, but from how we’ve been taught to interpret it.
We’re often handed explanations that sound certain and authoritative. We’re told, “This is what the Bible says,” without being shown how we got there. But here’s what I’ve come to realize:
Sometimes what we’ve been told the Bible says… isn’t actually what the Bible says.
It’s an interpretation.
And interpretations can carry bias.
Why Discomfort Matters
Discomfort has a way of exposing what we’ve assumed without questioning.
When a passage unsettles us, it forces us to slow down and ask better questions. Why does this bother me? What have I been taught about this? Is that actually in the text—or am I inheriting someone else’s conclusion?
This process isn’t easy. It requires humility and honesty. But it’s also where real growth happens.
Hebrews 4:12 describes Scripture as “living and active… sharper than any double-edged sword.” It cuts deep—not to harm us, but to reveal what’s true.
Sometimes that truth challenges us.
And sometimes, it challenges what we’ve been taught.
Learning to Examine Instead of Avoid
When I started encountering difficult passages, my instinct was to pull away. But eventually, I began to do something different. I leaned in and asked even more questions. I struggled with the text. I looked at context. I compared translations. I looked up the verses using interlinear tools to better understand the words being used. I paid attention to patterns in Scripture instead of isolating single verses.
And slowly, things began to shift.
I realized that some of the discomfort I felt wasn’t coming from Scripture itself—but from the way it had been translated, framed, or interpreted through a particular lens. That realization didn’t weaken my faith. It strengthened it. It pushed me to seek truth more carefully—and more personally.
A Verse That Became Personal
One of the passages that troubled me the most was 1 Corinthians 14. It’s often used to argue that women should be silent in the church, and for a long time, I didn’t know how to reconcile that with the rest of the Bible. I think the idea also triggered a deep wound in me around my voice. For most of my early years it was difficult for me to communicate with others because of a hearing loss. I was in speech therapy for most of grade school. The idea that my voice will work correctly or be able to be heard is deep for me.
I kept coming back to this passage. I read it over and over again, not looking for a quick answer, but trying to understand what was actually happening in the text. For a long time I missed the phrase, “as law says” so I didn’t know that Paul might be quoting an outside slogan or idea that is not his own idea. I also didn’t notice verse 36 which seems to be a rebuke.
It didn’t sound like a continuation of a command. It sounded like a challenge—a sharp, almost confrontational response. The more I studied it, the more I became convinced that this wasn’t Paul reinforcing silence. It was Paul pushing back.
Instead of seeing the passage as a restriction placed on women, I began to see it as a rebuke directed at those trying to control who could speak and who could not.
“Did the word of God originate with you?”
“Are you the only ones it has reached?”
Those questions expose something deeper: the assumption that authority over God’s word belongs to a select group—that some people get to decide who is allowed to speak. Paul challenges that idea directly.
When God Meets You in the Questions
Something powerful happens when you stop relying solely on what others tell you and begin engaging Scripture for yourself. It doesn’t mean you’ll have all the answers immediately. But it does mean you begin to encounter God in a more personal and honest way.
For me, that’s exactly what happened.
As I pressed into the hard passages instead of avoiding them, I found clarity where there had been confusion. Not because everything suddenly became simple, but because I was no longer reading through the same unexamined assumptions.
God met me there—in the questions, in the tension, in the process of searching.
You Don’t Have to Look Away
If you’ve ever felt uncomfortable with parts of the Bible, you’re not alone. And that discomfort doesn’t mean your faith is weak. It might mean you’re paying attention.
Instead of turning away, consider leaning in. Ask questions. Study deeply. Compare what you’ve been told with what the text actually says. Sometimes, the most transformative moments don’t come from the easy passages. They come from the ones that make you stop—and look again.
And sometimes, like it did for me, you’ll find a single verse that changes everything.
I have realized that some of the discomfort I felt wasn’t coming from Scripture itself—but from the way it had been translated, framed, or interpreted through a particular lens.
That realization didn’t weaken my faith. It strengthened it. It pushed me to seek truth more carefully—and more personally.
