Benefits of Bitter Pills

(Pro 5:12 KJV)  And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

Why do I dislike being corrected?  Maybe you are different but I don’t like people telling me I am wrong whether it is on an opinion or how I mow the grass.  My hackles go up.  My heels dig in.  My teeth clinch.  You know the routine or you are blessed with being wise.

It isn’t just someone trying to share knowledge.  It is the assumption that I am inadequate and need their help.  This verse implies that there is a moral aspect when it talks about “reproof” (8433b).  This is a concept that is taught in both the Old and New Testaments.  It is common in Proverbs.  What we face is a culture that has denied personal responsibility and turned away from all being sinners to embrace the statement, “Judge not.”

So?  If you can get to the point of being receptive to correction, then good.  If you still struggle, be aware of the problem and admit that the problem is in the one being reproved, not the one pointing out the error or your ways.  It is called spiritual growth.