One of the things I have to remind myself and others is that feedback and correction are gifts. In one of my previous jobs, after I had completed an assignment, I had to stand in front of my peers to receive feedback and correction. They would say what I did well, what I didn’t do well and what I should do differently next time. Some who stood up there were thankful for it and incorporated the feedback and correction. There were others though who tried to defend what their intentions were or why they chose to do it a certain way. Some would even attack the person trying to help them. How we receive feedback and correction says a lot about who we are.
In 2 Samuel 12, David had sinned by having an affair and then having her husband killed. He thought he had gotten away with it, but God saw what he had done. The prophet Nathan was sent to David to confront his sin. He told him the story of a poor man who had his lamb stolen by a rich man, who killed the lamb and served it to a friend. David screamed out that anyone who could do such a thing should be put to death. Nathan looked at him and said, “You are that man!” Instead of denying, defending or attacking, David admitted his sin and sought forgiveness. He accepted the feedback and correction which allowed him to remain king. He asked God to create a clean heart in him and to renew a right spirit within him.
Proverbs 25:12 says, “When you humbly receive wise correction, it adorns your life with beauty and makes you a better person” (TPT). How well do you receive feedback and correction? God uses people to confront our sin, shortcomings and areas that need improvement. Do you reject what they say, defend your intentions or attack them? David, as king, could have easily put Nathan in jail or killed him. Instead, he received the correction and became a better person and king. By the way, the one who wrote this proverb was not only David’s son, his mother was the one whom David had the affair with. God not only redeemed David after his son, He birthed a kingly succession out of his greatest sin. When we receive Godly feedback and correction, God can redeem whatever He’s pointing out.
Photo by Víctor C.on Pexels.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 