Higher truth can be acquired through the recognition of the contradictions it tends to generate. Those who think critically about their present beliefs will enumerate areas that make no sense. These apparent contradictions are rich sources for further light and truth, because they expose the searcher to the need for a higher level of light and truth, as well as provide the motivation to obtain it.
One way to discover further light and truth is to ponder problems that persist in your current paradigm. Are you receiving the outcomes that you expected from your current beliefs? Do you have questions that seem to not have answers?
Abraham found himself unsatisfied in his inherited paradigm. He paid attention to the scriptures he was reading, and noticed that there were greater blessings available to him than those offered him by the theology of his father (see Abraham 1:1-2).
Every belief structure can be thought of as a map. Our observational experience is akin to the actual terrain. For whatever reason, most people of faith are not very apt at comparing their map to the surrounding terrain. Any difference in the two is contradiction.
Humans see the world as a narrative. We collect observations and build a story around them. Frequently, it is the narrative that forms the center of our understanding, not the observations. Therefore, when new, contrary observations arise, we tend to ignore them, because they don't fit our narrative. Narratives are stiff—they don't like to flex. Someone who has made up their mind about something is very unlikely to change their position, even when presented with clearly contrary evidence.
Moving forward tends to require letting go of what has served us until this point. Once we discover limited utility in a previously held belief, it is time to find something better.
Considering contradictions is like crossing monkey bars. Crossing monkey bars requires you to let go of what you held previously. Even though that trailing bar was perfectly secure, even though it was at one point exactly what got you ahead of where you were, you have to let it go. When you get really good at trusting the system, you might even get up some momentum and skip bars on your traversal.
The fullness of God’s truth cannot be possessed while we retain our prepossessed feelings and notions. We must advance step by step from where we stand to where he stands.
To live open-mindedly, to live like a child, you have to be completely willing to let go of what you think you know at any moment. You have to be completely skeptical of everything you think you know, unsure of anything. How does this work with faith and hope? You act as if what you believe is absolutely true, but you walk in a constant willingness to learn that it is not. This is living on a razor's edge, living contrary to everything that is human nature.
So few people cultivate this ability that finding someone who does it— someone who is truly open-minded—may be the rarest thing on this earth. But this is what it means to be humble. To be willing to live zealously for your current perspective yet turn from it in a moment when presented sufficient reason to is to be willing to be the biggest fool. You will experience indescribable humiliation constantly as your previous best ideas turn out to be incomplete or even incorrect. Still, if you hold anything back, you will find that your partial effort is insufficient to uncover the next level of truth.