Desire to be Teachable

Proverbs 27:5-6 (VOICE) Open rebuke is better than hidden love. Wounds inflicted by the correction of a friend prove he is faithful; the abundant kisses of an enemy show his lies.

Have you ever had someone be quite frank with you about your attitude or behavior and you knew it was true but were too stubborn to accept their honesty because of the pain of the sting?

How often do we hear from someone close to us that we acted inappropriately or spoke with the wrong tone or offended someone without really meaning to but we aren't ready to change that "quirk" about us? When we aren't ready to accept someone's brutally honest rebuke about ourselves, we have a lot more maturing to do. I think the greatest thing for an employer is to have an employee who is teachable and willing to learn a new or better way to do something. An employee who won't be offended when you tell them they are doing something incorrect or when you ask for more information on a project.

An open rebuke can be done in love and even though it may still sting, we must take responsibility for our actions. Our behavior cannot be based on our feelings, rather, it should be based on our morals and principles. When we react poorly based on current feelings, we will look foolish. Feelings change but morals and principles should remain the same and be based on the scriptures. If you base your reactions on anything else you are open to look like a fool. If you recognize that you take offense when someone corrects you, I challenge you to take that to prayer and ask God to reveal why you are feeling that way and find the root cause so you can begin to grow by uprooting the real issues at heart. Only then will you be pleased to find correction from others so you can become better for the sake of Christ.

Oh Lord, may we learn to love the proverbs of your Word!

Proverbs 12:1 (TPT) To learn the truth you must long to be teachable, or you can despise correction and remain ignorant.

Proverbs 17:10 (TPT) One word of correction breaks open a teachable heart, but a fool can be corrected a hundred times and still not know what hit him.

Proverbs 21:11 (TPT) Senseless people learn their lessons the hard way, but the wise are teachable.