“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insults; whoever rebukes the wicked incurs abuse. Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.”
— Proverbs 9:7 – 8
If you try to correct someone who jeers and sneers and treats people with contempt, you’ll probably receive rude, nasty remarks for your effort. Correct a wise person, though, and she’ll love you.
Lisa babysat for the Wilson family’s three small children. When Mrs. Wilson arrived home early one day, Lisa was on the phone with a girlfriend and hadn’t even realized that the youngest napping child had crawled out of bed and gone outside. When Mrs. Wilson asked her to not take personal calls anymore while babysitting, Lisa erupted. She slammed down the phone and scowled at Mrs. Wilson. That was the end of her babysitting job! The new babysitter, Samantha, needed correction too. She fed the children too many sweets. Her response when corrected? “I’m sorry, Mrs. Wilson. I’ll do better from now on.” And she did.
“Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). That’s pretty blunt — but it’s true. If you want to be wiser, you’ll listen to correction and take the discipline. It’s stupid to make the same mistakes — and pay for them — over and over again.
More to Explore: Proverbs 15:12
Girl Talk: If you were a horse, what kind of bit would you need in your mouth? Do you respond to simple directions, or do you have to be forced into obedience?
God Talk: “Jesus, it’s embarrassing to be corrected, and sometimes it hurts. Help me to listen to correction and learn from it. Amen.”
From Chick Chat by Kristi Holl