| Cross Words: Spare the Rod and Spoil the Believer |
Ric
|
I don’t know about you but I don’t enjoy being corrected or told that I’m wrong. My first instinct is to bite back. If someone points out one of the many errors of my ways, I start looking for a chink in their armor. It’s the same as saying, “Who are you to tell me anything.” That’s pride. My second instinct at times is to crawl in a hole. The person doing the correcting may just be right and I haven’t wanted to admit my mistake, much less do anything about it. That’s guilt.
It’s no wonder that none of us enjoy being corrected. A well of painful emotions must be dealt with. Some introspection of our own deep, dark secrets must take place. Other individuals must be allowed to enter into our own private little world. Worst of all, we are faced with the difficult task of making changes in our lives. Who needs all that? We do!
The Bible says that we should be willing to not only expect correction from others, but also be willing to do some correcting of our own from time to time (Galatians 6:1-10). Without it we are doomed to live a life of regret and pain. With it we find freedom and a sense of healing. Without it we remain just as we are. With it our lives are limitless.
Two important things to remember before signing out. First, if you’re the one being corrected, consider the source. Dogs shouldn’t teach bears how to fish and believers don’t need spiritual instruction from non-believers. If I’m physically sick I visit a licensed doctor. If I’m spiritually sick - which actually does at times cause physical sickness - I need only listen to someone with a Godly, grace-filled heart.
Second, if you’re the one doing the correcting, keep in mind that you’re not perfect. Jesus said “...first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck of sawdust from your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:5). Correction is to be done tenderly, compassionately, lovingly, with your only motive being to strengthen your struggling friend. If you’ve ever been on the receiving end, and we all have, you know just how painful it can be.
|
|
Printer-friendly format
|
|
