I love being rebuked and corrected…said no one ever. I love getting a cavity drilled and filled has been said about as often. Correction is painful. Maturity is seen in how people respond to godly correction. A 9-year-old responds going to the dentist like a 9-year-old should respond, most of the time, and we get it. When a 39-year-old responds like a 9-year-old, there is an issue. Often, when the 39-year-old responds like a child the result is no filling and eventually a serious dental issue. The same is true in our spiritual life. As we grow, our understanding of rebuke should as well. When my accountability partner puts his finger on a painful area of sin or lack of discipline in my life, I can respond as a child or an adult. One leads to future destruction while the other leads to growth and Christlike character. We need to foster relationships that invite godly rebuke shared by safe people in our story. It’s not fun but the results are definitely worth the effort. Today find those people in your journey, invite them to speak into it, and then listen.
“Words from the mouth of a wise man are gracious…” Ecclesiastes 10:12a NASB
