“If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace. If you accept correction, you will be honored.” Proverbs 13:18
I’ve been in a process of learning to accept criticism and correction as a positive thing. I can get really defensive when I’m questioned, or a weakness is pointed out. It can be simple things, but it’s also with big things. I’ve recently had to get real with why I react the way I do when criticism or correction is being presented.
I’ve come to the realization that as a child and into my early 20’s, criticism and correction were tools used to let me know I wasn’t good enough. Criticism and correction were there to let me know that I failed once again and would probably never get it right. And even though I’ve grown and come to understand those things as lies, there is still a part of me that is being exposed and needs healing.
I’m in a process now where I’m changing my internal dialogue and my outward response. When I face criticism and correction I will begin to take inventory of how I am feeling and what response is coming to the surface. Then, I ask myself, why am I feeling this way? I know and understand that correction is for my benefit. I also recognize that correction isn’t really anyone’s favorite thing. But, it’s not there to point out my faults or my lack. Correction is there to help me make the adjustments I need to stay on that right path.
I pray today for continued healing in this part of my life. I want to receive and respond to correction and criticism with an open heart to make the necessary adjustments. I pray today for a shift in my mind to see correction and criticism, not as a way to point out my faults and failures, but as a tool to strengthen my gifts and abilities. Correction and criticism are there to make the good better. To make my strengths stronger. To allow the light to shine brighter. To continue the work, He is doing in me. And Lord, I pray for discernment to know when the correction is needed and when it’s just someone being critical. And then, to feel free to just let that negative go. Amen.
What is God speaking to you today in Proverbs 13? Share in the comments below or join the conversation on our Journaling Through Proverbs Facebook Group.