Mensa Otabil - How Do You Receive Correction
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We are learning wisdom from The Book of Proverbs, and we are in chapter 15, verse number five: «A fool despises his father’s instruction, but he who receives correction is prudent.» As I’ve said, The Book of Proverbs frequently contrasts the fool with the wise, telling us the characteristics of a person who is wise and those of a person who is not wise, in this case called a fool. Here, the comparison continues, stating that the fool hates to be instructed. One of the ways we can tell whether a person is wise or not is by how they respond to correction and instruction, and how open they are to being corrected.
In this passage, the fool is said to despise the father’s instruction. Now, «father» here does not refer just to a biological parent; it also refers to someone who is more experienced than you are. A father represents a more experienced person. The fool does not learn from those who are more experienced; they want to experience things for themselves. People have said that experience is the best teacher, but experience is not always the best teacher, especially your own experience. You can go through an experience and never learn anything from it, and some experiences can even lead to death.
Sometimes, the best way to learn is through other people’s experiences; what they’ve gone through becomes your instruction. The fool does not respect or value the experience of others; they believe they are so special and unique that what they know cannot be surpassed by anyone else. They always place themselves above correction and instruction. If you are like that, or I am like that, and we always think we have the best option, then we probably need to evaluate whether we fit the description of a wise person or a fool.
The first point is that the fool hates to be corrected. The second part states, «But he who receives correction is prudent,» and «prudent» is another word for «wise.» Prudent means that a person is measured; they measure what they do. So, it says, «He who receives correction is prudent,» meaning they are a measured person who takes their time with their actions. Of course, none of us likes to be corrected; I don’t like to be corrected, and you don’t like to be corrected because it implies that we made a mistake. But, yes, we are human, and we make mistakes. Especially when someone is more experienced than you are, their correction is valuable.
However, it is not right to accept every criticism. When someone criticizes you, you shouldn’t just accept it. That is not what the Bible is saying. That is why it says that the wise person is prudent. Prudent means that they listen, evaluate, measure what is being said, and then decide whether to accept it or not. The Bible then counsels us to be prudent when corrected. How do we become prudent? We listen, measure, and determine whether this is the right way to respond to our actions.
Whatever we do, we must decide never to be grouped among the foolish but among the wise. May the Lord help us all to amend our ways, make the right choices, and turn off the wrong path when we are told to do so. Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, give me a teachable heart. Help me receive correction when I’m wrong. In Jesus' name, Amen and amen.»