Correct Me If I'm Wrong, But...
OK, who among us loves to be corrected? Who just gets excited about receiving constructive criticism? Neither do I. In fact, I’d go as far as to say I hate it sometimes…most of the time. It’s most definitely not easy to accept rebuke or correction. If I’m not careful, my tendency is to bow up, get defensive, or just dismiss the criticism altogether. I may not do any of those things externally, but the attitude is often there.
I’ll go ahead and say it right here: accepting correction is probably one of the biggest things I need to work on in my life. Maybe that’s why certain verses sprinkled all over Proverbs have jumped out at my this time through in the daily reading plan.
“A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool.” (17:10)
“He who listens to a life-giving rebuke will be at home among the wise.” (15:31)
“A wise son heeds his father’s instruction, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.” (13:1)
“He who heeds discipline shows the way to life, but whoever ignores correction leads others astray.” (10:17, all scriptures NIV)
…and those are just a few of the examples. It’s a natural tendency to think that the one who are wise are the ones who have it all together, but right here in the Word is states that we’re wise when we take constructive, beneficial correction and apply it to our lives! As a fragile, failing human being, it’s actually refreshing to think that the path to wisdom lies in the corrective actions that take place after my failures. Here’s hoping that I (and all of you) can take the necessary steps to become wiser when these opportunities arise.