Taking Criticism, Giving Correction | Morning Routine Daily Devotional for February 9

Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you. Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; teach a righteous man, and he will increase in learning. — Proverbs 9:8-9 ESV

Personal development has become a regular part of many educators’ yearly routines. Once or twice a year, teachers dedicate time to bettering themselves, improving their craft, gaining skills. Today’s passage suggests that, if we are wise, we will love the opportunity to grow in wisdom, and we will actually love correction!

But before we get to the wise man in the passage, we encounter the ‘scoffer’, a notorious and negative character in the proverbs. Such a person will hate the person who corrects him. Now, as much as I imagine myself to be the wise man in the proverb… let’s be honest, we’ve all, at some point been the scoffer. Someone corrected us, and regardless of whether the correction was warranted, we didn’t exactly appreciate it! 

So why should we love correction? Well according to today’s text, if we are wise, we love correction because it will only increase our wisdom and learning!  So, ask the Lord to make us teachable, humble, and appreciative recipients of criticism and correction. Let’s seek to grow in wisdom and understanding. And as a parent or teacher or leader with the responsibility to give correction, consider helping your students understand the promise of correction given in this passage: the opportunity to grow, to become wiser, and better equipped for life!