Correction!

"It's not me; it's you."  😉

Honestly, do you know ANYONE who takes correction well?  Either correction from the Lord, from an employer, from a relative or friend ... or perfect stranger?

I don't.

Here are some common "first reactions" to correction:
"How dare he?  He doesn't know me!"
"I'm not really like that! Where did she get that idea?"
"Well, that's just ridiculous!"

Although there may be some basis for truth in these responses (i.e. the correction may be wrong-headed) these and other similar reactions more often spring from a prideful heart.  The person being corrected basically refuses the correction.

Then, there is another set of reactions:

"They are right.  I'm worthless."
"I might as well give up."
"Why even bother?"

These reactions indicate the one being corrected has gone beyond letting the correction teach, to the extreme of self-flagellation (severely beating oneself up), which is an indication of poor "self-concept".  So, these reactions are the opposite extreme of the first set.

In both scenarios, neither group receives correction well.
The first group the Bible refers to as "fools", and the second group as "simple".

We've had several blog posts recently on prideful fools; let's look at what the Bible calls the "simple" person.

We find him or her in Proverbs 14:15 (ESV).

The simple believes everything

But, the prudent gives thought to his steps.

When confronted with correction, we must first evaluate it.  Not everything presented as correction truly IS.  Sometimes, it is manipulation, jealousy or outright lies.  There's a danger in "swallowing everything whole", as the saying goes.
It is not being simple-minded to believe every word from God, as revealed in His Word. On Him, we can depend and respond in faith.
It is certainly naive to believe every word from people.

What does the Bible, then, say about receiving correction?

9Give instruction^b to a wise man, and he will be still wiser;

teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning.

Proverbs 9:9 (ESV)

Hmmmmm......
So, whether our reactions to correction (which the Bible also calls "reproof" or "rebuke") fall at one of the two extremes mentioned above, or somewhere in between, we need to shake off those initial reactions and dig deeper for some godly wisdom.  If we are Christ's, the Holy Spirit within us is waiting to fill our well with as much godly wisdom as we can handle!

Key Point:  (vs. 9) the wise learn from others.  I was reading yesterday the personal testimony of Warren Weirsbe.  His Old Testament Commentary is open beside my computer right now, in fact.  He said this:1 "One of the best ways to walk with the wise is to read church history and Christian biography.  I have hundreds of volumes of biography and autobiography in my library, some of which I have read many times, and these books have greatly enriched my life.  I didn't have the privilege of knowing personally J. Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, St. Augustine ... but by reading their biographies and autobiographies, sermons and letters, I've benefitted from their walk with the Lord."

Totally by accident, on the same day, I was reading Joel C. Rosenberg's book, Implosion.2  In it, he recounts key players from the First and Second Great Awakenings:  George Whitefield, Jonathan Edwards, Charles Finney, John and Charles Wesley.  As I read about these great men and their families, I was captivated by the depth and breadth of their faith, which flowed from the persistence and perseverance of their prayer life, their devotion.

Even better: wise people who learn from other wise people make better leaders.  Much worse: Proverbs 10:17 states that the person who rejects correction leads others astray as well!  What a responsibility for all of us who claim the name of Christ, but especially those who lead in ministry!

Personally, when God Himself uses His Word, life's circumstances and precious people in my life to correct me and guide me, I try my best to be supremely grateful.  God's correction is never wrong, and I pray I receive it well, with humility, discernment and grace.

Dear God, please rescue us from being "wise in our own eyes".  Instead, we want to be "wise in your eyes"!  May none of us think so highly of ourselves that we come to believe we have nothing more to learn or that we cannot continue to learn from You, and from those godly servants of Yours whom You allow to minister grace to us.  In Jesus' name, amen.

Sources:

1     Wiersbe, Warren W. The Wiersbe Bible Commentary: The Complete Old Testament in One Volume. Colorado Springs, David C Cook, 2007, p. 1071.

2       Rosenberg, Joel C. Implosion: can America recover from its economic and spiritual challenges in time? Carol Stream, IL, Tyndale House Publishers, 2013.