Proverbs 13:17-18
Growing up, did you ever play the game telephone? It’s a game you play with a group of people, and one person tries to whisper a sentence or phrase to the person next to them, and that person has to try and remember what they said and whisper it to the person next to them. It’s a fun game to play and interesting to see how mixed up the phrases get. The goal of the game is to keep the same exact message from the first person to the last person. If you have ever played the game, you know how challenging being the messenger is. It’s important to choose your words well and avoid reacting until you clearly understand what the other person means. In Solomon’s day, a king had to rely on messengers for information about his country. The messenger had to be fully reliable and trustworthy because inaccurate information could have lead to death. Reliable communication is vital.
I am not one to take criticism well. I get embarrassed, I feel humiliated, and sometimes I even breakdown and cry. Lately though, I have learned a lot through Psalms and Proverbs, and I have obtained a lot of wisdom from them. One thing Solomon talks about quite often is that accepting criticism makes you an honorable person, but “if you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace…” We are not suppose to get angry or offended when people try to correct us, because they are only trying to help you become a better person. Being open to correction means you have a willingness to grow beyond what you think you are capable of being.