How Do I Handle Correction?
Correction is seldom easy, but it can be an invaluable way to grow.
One of the "benefits" of being a freelance writer is that my job comes with constant correction. Even after ghostwriting over forty books, editing countless manuscripts, and putting in my 10,000 hours, I still receive ongoing correction.
"Ezra, why did you write this sentence that way?" "How come you use contractions?" "Isn't it wrong to start a sentence with 'and'?" And so forth (you see what I did there).
Most days it's minor adjustments, but occasionally I'll receive some major corrections. Several months ago, I sent off a rough draft to an author on a Friday night, making revisions to a manuscript he thought was near completion. Unprepared for the 2,000-plus additions I had made, he sent me a series of emails saying he was very upset.
My quiet evening ruined, I sat down at my desktop after the kids went to sleep and sent him a 500-word response, detailing my process. He curtly responded that he'd take a closer look at my adjustments the next day. Two days later, I received another email from him, this time saying that after giving it a second look, he actually liked my changes with only one minor exception. Crisis avoided.
Love Correction
Most people don’t handle correction very well. They either shrivel up and cower under its weight or lash out and shoot the messenger. But in Proverbs 9, Solomon has a very different perspective when he writes,
7 The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.
8 Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.
9 Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still;
teach the righteous, and he will learn more.
10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”
There are two critical points we can glean from this passage. First, there are some people not worth correcting. They are mockers who love ignorance. They have no interest in learning, and you waste your time trying to convince them otherwise. As David Hubbard writes, “Trying to coax one who mocks truth, morality, and wisdom to change his ways will only intensify his ire and turn him completely against you.”[1]
Second, wise people love correction and see it as a chance to grow in wisdom. As Paul Koptak says, “In Wisdom’s view, people show their character by their response to correction.”[2] By refusing to take correction as a personal indictment of our character and seeing it as an opportunity for development, we expedite our growth in wisdom.
When You Correct and Are Corrected
So, the next time you prepare to correct someone, ask yourself a few questions like: Am I correcting with their best interest in mind? Am I the one to deliver the message? When is the right time? How will I deliver the message? Does this person I’m about to correct want to grow in wisdom, or are they more concerned with being right?
Also, whenever you receive correction, there are several steps you can take to respond appropriately. First, consider the source. Is the correction from someone you trust and respect? If so, listen closely. If not, and if you can tell they have an agenda, evaluate what they say, and still listen with a heart to learn.
Second, overlook the messiness and get to the root of the correction. Correction is messy, and no one will ever correct you in the perfect way at the perfect time. But instead of focusing on what the corrector didn’t do right, ask yourself: What part of their correction is true? Often, even if you disagree with the manner in which you’ve been corrected, you’ll still find some way to grow in wisdom.
Third, allow correction to make you a better person. Lean into correction, even when you’re tempted to avoid it.
Be Like Jesus
When we’re wise, we’ll have discernment to know when to correct or not correct others. As Daniel Akin writes,
Being like Jesus means having the ability to see the situation you are in. It means recognizing when to correct people and when not to correct them because it will only make things worse. It also means knowing when not to play the coward and to speak up and say something in the right situation.[3]
Do you need to correct someone today? If so, be discerning and understand the type of person you’re correcting.
Has someone corrected you, but you’ve responded to this correction in the wrong way? Repent, and circle back to them. Pursue wisdom, even when it’s difficult.
[1] David A. Hubbard and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, Proverbs, vol. 15, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989), 135.
[2]Paul E. Koptak, Proverbs, The NIV Application Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 268.
[3] Daniel L. Akin and Jonathan Akin, Exalting Jesus in Proverbs, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary. Accordance electronic ed. (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2017), 94.
