Have you ever woken up in the morning and thought to yourself “I’m going to try extra hard to be good today”?

I have! It usually turns out that by the time the day is over I end up being very discouraged. It seems that whenever I try extra hard to be good and someone corrects me, I get this thought: “I was bad again, and I was trying so hard to be good. Why can’t I do anything right?!”

I’m learning that it’s because I’m looking at correction from the wrong perspective. Proverbs 12:1 says this: Whoso loveth instruction loveth knowledge: but he that hateth reproof is brutish.

He that hateth reproof is brutish? What exactly does that mean? The word brutish means stupid, foolish, ignorant, unfeeling, savage, ferocious, gross, uncivilized, and untaught, and a few other things! (Are you getting an interesting perspective on this verse?)

Another verse in Proverbs says this: Correction is grievous unto him that forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die.

Correction is grievous, which means: Heavy, oppressive, burdensome, afflictive, painful, hard to be borne, provoking, and offensive! Need I say more? The fact that correction is so hard for me to take means only one thing… that my heart is in the wrong place.

Correction should not be hard. Proverbs 3:11-12:

My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.

As people, we tend to hear from a correction “Can’t you do it right, for once?!” Really … we should be hearing; “I love you, and want you to learn to do that which is pleasing the Lord!”

Let me give you a new perspective on this: Your mother asks you to put away the dishes, you say “Yes Ma’am”, but a moment later you completely forget! (This sounding familiar?) A little while later your mother comes to you again, this time she reminds you that she needs you to put away the dishes, and then corrects you (!) by telling you that next time you need to remember to put away the dishes!

Your response is, “Sorry, I didn’t try to forget…”

What you’re thinking is, “I was going to do it! I do try to remember things…”

Your response next time should be, “Thanks for reminding me! It slipped my mind, and next time I will do better!”

You should be thinking, “I’m so glad God gave me a mother who loves me and wants me to remember things so that I can learn to do that which is right!” (Doesn’t that sound so much nicer?)

Proverbs 9:9 says, “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be yet wiser: teach a just man, and he will increase in learning.”

Proverbs 9:8 says, “Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee.”

Learn to love correction; it’s not a bad thing. (I’m telling myself this more than to you! ?) When you hear the words of correction instead of hear something negative, learn to hear “I love you”.