True Corrections Breeds Righteousness:

Through my re-reading of the Bible, I am currently reading the book of Proverbs.  I love the book of Proverbs.  I love how simple the pieces of wisdom Proverbs gives readers.  I gain more and more knowledge and wisdom from every read of this book.  A verse that stood out to me recently was Proverbs 12:1, “Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid.”  This verse stuck out to me for a few reasons, and I will admit that this verse is very direct.  The using of the word stupid is harsh, but it does give a very good warning that taking correction is very important. 

I am a teacher, which is something that I mention often.  As a teacher, I have definitely had many moments with students who accept criticism and correction well.  Then I have had many examples and experiences of students who do not take correction well.  I always appreciate when my students listen to criticism and then make corrections. I appreciate their humility in knowing I am doing my best to teach them to be the best people and the best students they can possibly be.  

This is always good for me to sit back and to reflect on whether or not I am good at taking corrections.  I would love to say that I can listen to the best intentions of others and therefore listen to any constructive criticism or thoughts they would like to give me.  However, I know I often want to get defensive when I first hear something I should fix.  I don’t necessarily get angry or upset, but I am also not jumping up and down in order to fix those corrections either.  Sometimes after I spend a minute or two in thought, I can realize that the constructive and helpful criticism I am being offered was not made maliciously or even unkindly, but that it will actually help me benefit a lot in my life.  Then I seek to make the necessary changes.  Either that, or I will just completely ignore the advice and act as though it really doesn’t apply to me.  

As we continue to grow closer and closer to God, we are going to be blessed with more and more blessings which is his overall goodness and glory.  The more that we get to know about him, the more we should want to know.  In the New Testament of the Bible there is a metaphor that is used with this concept as being able to adapt to mature food, as opposed to baby food.  Hebrews 5: 13-14 says, “Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  

The Lord offers great ways for us to take helpful and constructive criticism through living out his word.  He provides wonderful pieces of wisdom for his people.  There are, of course, the proverbs that are filled with knowledge, but then there are also examples of many people or Christian leaders and how they lived their lives.  The big thing is that we need to be willing to read his words.  There can be times when we can feel overwhelmed and too busy to even spend a bit of time in God’s word. It can help making the time as opposed to finding a time. I have found the best way for me to do this is to set aside a bit of time every morning.  For others, it may be listening to it audibly on the way to work.  Or, you may need to read it right before you go to bed with your family.  Whatever gets you in the word is good.  

Another valuable thing to do, and I bring this up often, is to create around yourself a good group of Christian believers who want to be there to support and help you grow closer to God.  It is highly important to not surround yourself with yes people.  These are people who are going to tell you that you are always doing amazing.  Yes, we need to have people around who are going to encourage us, and uplift us when we are feeling distraught.  But we also need those around us who are going to be willing to, kindly and lovingly, tell us the things that we need to work on.   These people want to see us thrive.  They don’t want us to be stuck in the places that are stunting our growth. 

One challenge for you this week is to be aware of corrections and criticisms from those who love you.  How do you respond?  Is your response going to help you grow or is it going to stunt your growth? There are going to be pieces of advice from others that are planning to be hurtful, but from those who really love you and want you to grow, I hope that you can hear their thoughts and their encouragement.