Nobody Likes Being Corrected
Nobody enjoys being corrected, but what if the criticism you're resisting is one of the greatest gifts God is giving you right now? In this episode, discover why the wise person receives correction and how God uses it to shape you into who He created you to be.
Nobody enjoys being corrected, but what if the criticism you're resisting is one of the greatest gifts God is giving you right now? In this episode, discover why the wise person receives correction and how God uses it to shape you into who He created you to be.
Have you ever had someone say something to you that stung, and deep down, you knew they were right?
Our first instinct when we're corrected is almost always to defend ourselves. We push back. We explain. We dismiss. Our pride jumps to the front of the line and shuts the door before the truth can even get in. Over time, that defensiveness keeps us stuck in the same blind spots, the same patterns, and the same relational struggles, because we refuse to hear what we most need to hear.
In this episode, we look at the story of a young Ben Franklin, whose brilliance was undeniable but whose arrogance was pushing everyone away. He loved winning arguments so much that people started avoiding him. Then a Quaker friend pulled him aside and said the hard thing: "People don't like being around you." Instead of dismissing it, Franklin received that painful correction. He changed the way he spoke, started listening before arguing, and later credited that one conversation with transforming his relationships and his effectiveness as a leader for the rest of his life.
Through his story and the blunt wisdom of Proverbs 12:1, you'll see that correction isn't the enemy; it's one of the most loving gifts God gives. Whether it comes through His Word, through circumstances, or through someone who cares enough to say the hard thing, God's discipline is a sign of His love, not His rejection. The wise person receives it. The fool resists it.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why your response to correction reveals the condition of your heart more than almost anything else
- How God uses His Word, your circumstances, and other people to lovingly shape you into who He created you to be
- A practical way to receive one piece of correction you've been resisting and let God use it for your growth
Nobody likes being corrected, but the correction you didn't want to hear might be the one that shapes you most.
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A young Ben Franklin walked into every conversation
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like a prizefighter entering the ring. No one doubted his
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brilliance, but he was sharp-tongued. He loved nothing
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more than winning an argument. He debated anyone about anything,
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and he was good at it. So good that people started avoiding him.
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But he couldn't see it. Then a Quaker friend pulled him aside
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and told him something he didn't want to hear. Ben, people don't
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like being around you. You're arrogant, combative, and you
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make everyone feel small. That had to sting. In a moment like
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that, why would someone so confident and intellectually
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gifted take that criticism seriously instead of brushing it
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off?
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and
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today I'm really speaking from experience. There have been a
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few times when I pushed back from something I really needed.
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being corrected. I really needed to take godly wisdom to heart.
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Proverbs 12.1 doesn't sugarcoat it. To learn, you must love
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discipline. It is stupid to hate correction. That's pretty blunt,
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isn't it? Solomon didn't pull any punches. He says, if you
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hate correction, you're being stupid. The King James uses the
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word brutish. You're acting like a dumb animal. That's strong
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language, and it's meant to get our attention, because the way
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you respond to correction reveals the condition of your
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heart. Think about how most of us react when someone corrects
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us. Our first instinct is to usually defend ourselves. That's
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not fair. They don't understand. Who are they to say that to me?
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Our pride jumps to the front of the line and shuts the door
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before the truth can ever get in. But what if correction isn't the
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enemy? What if it's actually one of the most loving gifts God
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gives? Hebrews 12.6 says, That means when God brings correction
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into your life, He's not punishing you out of anger. He's
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parenting you out of love. Just like a good father doesn't let
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his child run into traffic without stopping them, God
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doesn't let us keep running in the wrong direction without
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speaking up. Sometimes that correction comes through His
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Word. You're reading Scripture, and a verse hits you right
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between the eyes, exposing an attitude, maybe a habit or a
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direction you know is not right. Sometimes it comes through
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circumstances. Maybe a door closes or one of your plans
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falls apart. And it's possible that consequences show up that
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forces you to reconsider your choices. And sometimes it comes
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through other people. A friend says something honest. A spouse
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points out a blind spot. Maybe a mentor challenges a decision of
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yours. All of those conversations probably will
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sting, but they're often the correction that shapes us the
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most. The question isn't whether correction will come, because it
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will. The question is, what will you do with it? Proverbs is full
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of wisdom about this. Proverbs 15.31 says, If you listen to
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constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.
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Proverbs 9.8 says, Correct the wise, and they will love you.
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You see the pattern here? It's pretty clear. Wise people
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welcome correction, but foolish people reject it. That doesn't
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mean every criticism is valid. Some people speak out of
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jealousy, maybe out of ignorance, and often out of their own
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brokenness. You don't have to accept everything everyone says.
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But when correction comes from someone who loves you, and
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someone who knows you well, and most likely has your best
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interest at heart, you need to pay attention. God might be
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using them to shape you. Instead of dismissing his friend's blunt
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words, Benjamin Franklin received them. He began to
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change how he spoke to people. He started asking questions
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instead of making declarations, and listening before arguing. In
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his autobiography, he credits that one painful conversation
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with transforming his relationships and his
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effectiveness as a leader for the rest of his life. The
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correction Franklin didn't want to hear became the correction
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that shaped him most. Nobody enjoys being called out. It
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stings our pride, and it exposes our blind spots. But the wise
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person receives it, knowing that God often uses honest words from
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someone who cares enough to say the hard thing. Now, no one
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could mistake Franklin for a godly man, but his response
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illustrates a biblical principle. He could have dismissed his
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friend, and he could have argued. He could have walked away
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offended. Instead, what he did was he listened, and he changed,
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and it made all the difference. Maybe there's a correction in
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your life right now that you've been resisting. Maybe God has
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been speaking to you through his word, or maybe through
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circumstances, or someone who loves you, and you've been
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pushing back because it stings. Here's what I want you to
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consider. What if that correction is one of the
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greatest gifts God's giving you right now? What if receiving it
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could transform your relationships or maybe your
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leadership, and it could draw you closer to God? So here's
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today's challenge. Think about one piece of correction you've
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received recently. It could be from Scripture or from another
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person, or maybe the circumstances in your life. And
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you've been resisting or dismissing it. Ask yourself
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honestly, Is there truth in it? If there is, bring it to God in
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prayer. Say, Lord, I don't enjoy this, but I want to be wise, not
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foolish. Help me to receive this correction with humility, and
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use it to shape me into who you created me to be. And if someone
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in your life has had the courage to speak a hard truth to you,
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consider thanking them. It takes love to correct someone, and it
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takes wisdom to receive it. Lord, correction's tough to hear. It
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stings our pride, and it exposes what we would rather hide. But
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your word says the wise person loves discipline and receives
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correction. Help us to be that kind of person and soften our
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hearts and open our ears. Use your word, our circumstances,
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and the people around us to shape us into who you created us
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to be. We trust that your discipline is love. In Jesus'
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name, Amen. If this podcast has been an encouragement to you,
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would you consider supporting it? Your generosity helps keep these
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devotions coming. You can become a monthly supporter or give a
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one-time gift at dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
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slash support. Thank you for partnering with me in this
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ministry. And thanks for joining me on Daily Devotions for Busy
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Lives. Remember, nobody likes being corrected, but the wise
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person receives it, knowing that God uses honest correction to
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shape us into who He created us to be. Come back next time for
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more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.
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Until then, God bless, and have a great day.
