Oh boy, there is so much truth to this scripture!!
We all know the kind…the fool who thinks they do no wrong and does not like nor listen to correction. I know my husband & I have learned this the hard way…many times.
We are not the type of people who like to say anything to others if it would make them upset, but on several occasions, when we finally felt convicted that we could say something to someone, it backfired…big time!
We had a “christian” family from church that we considered friends and when we confronted them about their illegal, sinful ways, they retreated from our family, even going as far as ignoring & being rude to our sons (they had kids our sons ages & one of them was a youth leader to our sons) and bad-mouthing us to others within the church.
Another example, we also have a family member who is full of toxicity and when we finally got up enough nerve to confront them, they became irate, unreasonable, shifted their blame to play the victim (once again), and began to criticize and chastise us to others.
Also, we belonged to a church that we started questioning their teachings. We did our research & studied the Bible in these areas extensively & felt convicted to leave the church for several reasons, but not before talking to one of the pastors (who was also a close friend, so we thought), and explaining the discrepancies & backing them up with scripture.
“This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you.”
{Galatians 5:9-10 NLT}
Although, he agreed with us & admitted that they are wrong in most these areas, he said they won’t stop preaching them.
Yep, you guessed it, we no longer have a relationship with any of these people, nor do we want one. They chose to be angry fools instead of being wise & accepting correction. They chose foolishness over wisdom & friendship. Why did they choose to sever ties with us? The answer is simply, because they don’t truly want genuine friendships, but “friendships” that enable or ignore their behavior.
We chose to accept the end of those relationships, not because we don’t love them, nor because we think we are perfect or above them, but because we want to surround ourselves with loyal, genuine people who love us enough to respect us and know us well enough to know our intentions are only good. We want to have relationships with people who add to our life, not deceive us or hinder our happiness. We are supposed to love one another, but we do not have to surround ourselves with people who are damaging to us or our souls.
Correction also helps us grow in wisdom and makes us more aware of things that need to be corrected or changed. If correction is done in a loving manner, it will add to your life, not distroy it.
Correction leads to wisdom!
In my opinion, if someone is the type of person who cannot be corrected, apologize, nor be understanding of & respectful to your feelings or convictions, then they are not a person you should have a relationship with anyway! A strong, loyal, healthy relationship is loving and understanding…PERIOD!
“Anyone who rebukes a mocker will get an insult in return. Anyone who corrects the wicked will get hurt. So don’t bother correcting mockers; they will only hate you. But correct the wise, and they will love you. Instruct the wise, and they will be even wiser. Teach the righteous, and they will learn even more. Fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in good judgment. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life. If you become wise, you will be the one to benefit. If you scorn wisdom, you will be the one to suffer.”
{Proverbs 9:7-12}
ALWAYS stay strong in your faith and convictions…DO NOT EVER WAVER!!! But, be aware that most people do not like to be corrected, or “called out”, and you could lose that relationship if you do try to speak to them about their behaviors! Honestly, I don’t know anyone who likes to be corrected, but it all comes down to how you deal with being corrected that matters and your reaction could be the saving grace of your relationship.
Blessings & Love,
