Learning to Embrace Correction
Writers have to be ready for inevitable criticism and edits.
Whether writing for school, work, publication, a personal blog, or social media, writers like me offer our words up for critique. There are teachers and editors who look over our work for ways to improve it, readers who share their opinions (both kind and unkind), and apps that make colorful lines appear under our words to show us where we went wrong.
I love the people who edit my work, and I am thankful for each one of them and their thorough feedback. But edits always bother my perfectionist tendencies. I’m reminded that despite spending hours re-reading a piece, searching for typos, and rearranging paragraphs, they will point out numerous more problems I missed.
I cannot write a perfect piece—whether it be an essay, an article, or a story. In my prideful heart, I want to be perfect. I want people to praise me for my excellent writing that needs no editing whatsoever. That’s my silly, unattainable dream as a writer. I know my editors are seeking to help me grow and make my piece the best it can be, but it’s hard to not bristle at all the red marks.
Similarly, I often bristle at corrections from fellow believers who point out my faults, failures, or sins. My natural tendency (and probably yours too) is to be defensive. However, this doesn’t need to be our only reaction. God’s Word shows us another way.
EVALUATING CRITICISM
When I receive edits from an editor, I first take a step back and give myself space to clearly evaluate. I don’t dive in when I’m still attached to the piece and may feel vengeful for my darlings they want to cut. I take time to process and consider the validity of their critiques. Is this paragraph confusing? Is this sentence unnecessary? Do I need to buff up this example more? Often times the answer is a resounding yes. If they found my piece wanting, I’m sure other readers will too.
Perhaps we can approach corrections to our actions and words in a similar way. We shouldn’t immediately write them off while we’re still boiling with hurt emotions. There are times when criticism is unnecessary and just plain wrong—mean and critical people do exist. But we should be careful that we don’t throw away every criticism without first seeking any possible truth in it.
We can begin by opening our Bibles. Are we being called out for an actual sin? Does the Bible define it as sin? Sometimes what people perceive as sin is only authored by their conscience or preference, not God. For example, some people homeschool, some send their children to a public school, others private school, and still others choose a Christian school. The Bible doesn’t tell us one manner of schooling is better than the others, so a Christian cannot rightfully condemn another’s choice.
If the criticism passes the biblical test, then we should evaluate our own hearts. Have I sinned in this way? Am I guilty? As is true when editing one’s own writing, it can be difficult for us to see sin in our own lives. We may need to ask the person for examples, or talk to a few trusted friends and ask if they have noticed this problem as well.
Remember to assume a posture of humility. Never consider yourself too good to fall into certain sins. As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Let him who thinks he stands take heed that he does not fall” (1 Cor. 10:12 NASB).
Don’t believe your sinful heart to be too far above particular sins. Maybe you’re guilty. Maybe you aren’t. But we should be willing and ready to evaluate the criticism at hand.
COMFORT IN MANY COUNSELORS
We can find goodness in criticism. Those who correct us can prove to be loyal friends. “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy” (Prov. 27:6). We can find comfort in the fact that someone was looking out for us and seeking our best. We can be thankful for another opportunity to grow in obedience and discernment.
Because we’re so slow to recognize our own sins and because we’re blind to our own faults, having others to point them out is a gift from God. As difficult and awkward as correction may feel in the moment, God’s grace can still be abundant when these corrections contain truth and love. We can thank him for his love toward us in not allowing this sin to persist and offering us an opportunity to learn humility. Thanks be to God that he put others in our lives who aren’t afraid to speak wisely and truthfully.
After a few years of writing on my own tiny blog (where I rarely received feedback), I worked up the courage to pitch to a website. When the editor came back with kind words about my article and an attachment containing her edits, I expected to find very little to look over. Instead, I found the document covered in comments, red lines, and strike-throughs. For a moment, I considered going back to the sweet, silent work of writing for my own blog—saying whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, with no one to criticize me. But there is a safeguard in editors. As Proverbs 11:14 states, “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.”
Since then, I’ve grown to be grateful for the safeguards of my editors. At times, I’m more fearful of publishing something on my own blog since it won’t have the thorough combing of an editor. My editors have caught careless and unintentional mistakes time and again as they guided me to better clarity.
What if we had a similar gratitude for those who corrected us in our daily walks? What if we viewed the admonishment of our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as a safeguard, a kindness, and an act of love for God and others? Perhaps we’d learn to bristle a little less and thank them for their charity.
HOPE FROM OUR GREATEST CORRECTION
Receiving correction can feel cringe-worthy. Our faces turn red as we recognize our shameful behavior. This is what often makes us so resistant to critique. But the shame of receiving correction is done away with at the cross. We can come to the cross knowing our guilt will be turned to joy as we remember the grace God has shown us in our sins and trust in Christ to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Like David, once humbled by a loving friend who pointed out his sin, we can turn to God in prayer:
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin! (Ps. 51:1–2)
At times, we will also be wrongly critiqued, which likewise feels embarrassing. But when we are slandered in this way, we can remember our justification isn’t dependent on what others perceive of us but ultimately on what Christ has done for us.
The greatest and most necessary criticism we have ever received came from God when we were running toward fiery condemnation and needed to change our direction. He convicted our hearts of the sin and rebellion that filled them and pointed us to the only Savior.
He continues to exhort and sanctify us each day in many ways, and perhaps one of his ways will be through a fellow believer. Let’s take comfort today in God’s loving, fatherly discipline.
Lara d’Entremont is a biblical counselor in training, and her desire in writing is to teach women to turn to God’s word in the midst of their daily lives and suffering to find the answers they need. She wants to teach women to love God with both their minds and hearts. Lara is married to Daniel and they live in Nova Scotia, Canada. See more of her writing on her website, Twitter, or Facebook.