“Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it.”
– Psalm 141:5a
We live in a very sensitive and defensive culture. We’ve been raised to naturally HATE to be critiqued, criticized, corrected, or rebuked for doing wrong. Our pride hates to be poked like that. Our shields instantly raise and our first instinct is to lash out, strike back, and crush all opposition. Generally speaking, Christians aren’t different anyone else in this regard. But we should be! The Bible is clear that we must be.
It’s also clear that we will be enormously blessed once we learn to respond to words of correction from godly people in a supernatural way. To respond with humility, openness, and respect for the person who speaks. To believe they want the best for us rather than the worst. To truly hear what they’re saying and discern whether it’s coming from a place of wisdom and love for us. To let the Holy Spirit speak through them.
Once we can get over our pride and reprogram our instincts to actually welcome the feedback, critique, and rebuke of godly brothers and sisters in Christ, we can GROW. Not all feedback is useful but a lot of it is. It can help grow our skills. It can help us grow spirituality. It can protect us from sin. It can help grow in maturity. It can grow our impact for God’s Kingdom. It can ultimately grow God’s Kingdom itself.
However, we must learn to welcome the correction of other believers if we’re going to grow in this way. To understand it as kindness, not cruelty. To see it as an act of love rather than hate. To see godly correction as ointment and medicine for our souls and lives rather than deadly poison. To let our heads and hearts truly hear, understand, and apply that which is true and useful. Think carefully about how you respond to words of correction, critique, and even rebuke from fellow Christians. Are you eagerly and joyfully seeking to learn in this way that the Bible repeatedly endorses? #FollowJesus