Proverbial life: accepting correction

We’re taking a topic-focused tour of the book of Proverbs.  Although Solomon was commenting on life roughly 3000 years ago, his observations ring loud and clear in today’s modern times.  In this blog post, we’ll be looking at a situation that most – if not all – of us find rather challenging: accepting correction.

When it comes to receiving correction (whether it is through advice or reprimand), we have certain steps that we reflexively take, and they go completely unnoticed most of the time.  Can you relate to this?  Immediately after hearing the correction, we begin to evaluate the source of the correction.  We ask questions like:

Does their authority level grant them the right to correct me on this?
Do I think they are competent enough to give good advice?
Do they know me well enough to make these comments?
Was the correction phrased in a way I accept, or were they harsh, rude, or mean in the delivery?
Are they being hypocritical?

If we deem the source to be unworthy or hypocritical…we allow ourselves to simply dismiss the correction.  But should that be our approach?  As we go through these proverbs, look for Solomon’s focus – Is it on the correction or the person delivering it?

Our first proverb deals with something you either love or you hate: instructions. 

Proverbs 10:17
The one who follows instruction is on the path to life,
but the one who rejects correction goes astray.

Some of us find comfort in instructions, while others believe them to be restrictive.  Both instruction and correction come from outside of us…someone else provides them to us.  Notice that Solomon isn’t addressing the instruction/correction giver here.  Are we willing to listen to correction in order to avoid going astray?

Our second proverb also gives warning for ignoring correction, but a little more bluntly this time:

Proverbs 12:1
Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge,
but one who hates correction is stupid.

I hate messing up.  What makes it worse is if someone in authority calls me out on it.  Even if they’re gentle about giving the course correction, my internal self-flogging is always worse than whatever the correcting authority can tell me.  Because I am so much harder on myself, I have the tendency to disregard the “lower-level” of correction someone else provides.  This attitude can make it easy to dismiss their correction; however, according to Solomon, despising that correction makes me stupid and foolish.

Our third proverb gets right to the heart of the matter:

Proverbs 12:15
A fool’s way is right in his own eyes,
but whoever listens to counsel is wise.

Arrogance is blinding.  Again, our attitude is the one in focus; Solomon’s not talking about the correction-giver.  If we’re always right in our own eyes, we are certain to play the fool.  The opposite of arrogance is humility…are we humble enough to listen to counsel so we don’t end up fooling ourselves and causing unnecessary pain and difficulty?

Our last proverb extols the positive of listening to correction:

Proverbs 15:32
Anyone who ignores discipline despises himself,
but whoever listens to correction acquires good sense.

In order to accept correction from someone else, we must have the humility to hear it.  It doesn’t matter how high up the correcting authority is, if we do not humbly approach the course of our lives then we’re going to end up arrogant and obstinate.  Even if the advice comes from an unexpected or less-than-perfect source, we need to have the humility to evaluate their counsel before we disregard the correction based upon the person who gives it. 

Keep Pressing,
Ken