Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid. (Proverbs 12:1)
No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:11)
Tough one. Definitely not “feel good” time. Does anyone love correction? The passage in Hebrews shows that God knows it. Discipline isn’t pleasant. Correction isn’t either. Here’s a stupid example. A friend posted something about a huge wasps’ nest. I watched the video and saw lots of yellow and black. Not wasps, hornets, I said. Someone corrected me. Hornets are a type of wasp. I always took them to be a kind of bee because of the colors, while wasps, while supposedly related, were a different beast. From what I’ve read since, it’s a common enough error, but I have to admit, being corrected stung (pun intended.)
There are types of correction that don’t sting. They bludgeon, and they stink. Some people insist that you’re wrong. They trash talk your sources, but they provide no direction. If you’re told that hornets are wasps, you can verify that in less than sixty seconds. There are other people who tell you that you’re wrong on something more complex, and when you ask for proof, you get told that 1) you’re stupid, and 2) it’s not their job to educate you, so 3) they’re not going to waste their time suggesting a place to begin learning. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that unless someone is paranoid about “their” information being stolen from them (I’ve encountered that among genealogists) most people who know something, who actually have some information, are at least willing to share where to begin to look. I know that it’s when I’m not sure of my information that I am uncomfortable sharing my sources. I may not remember where I found something, but if I don’t, I’ll generally admit it.
Those who love discipline, love knowledge, but let’s go back to a different sort of discipline. Spanking is not the same as beating. Spanking focuses on the spankee learning a lesson. Beating focuses on venting frustration or rage. The problem is, both the spanker and the beater are likely to say, “It’s for your own good.” In one case, it’s true. It the other case, it’s gaslighting. This is basically the same situation as in the last paragraph. True correction and true discipline is meant to help the one corrected or disciplined. The other sort is meant to harm the corrected one while building up the ego of the corrector.
Lord, correct us, discipline us because we know that Your correction and Your discipline are for our good. Withhold our hands from correction or discipline that is meant to harm another. Teach us to correct or discipline only in love and for the benefit of the one corrected. Give us the wisdom to recognize when the one correcting is acting out of hate, and the strength to gracefully and lovingly reject that hate.
There are types of correction that don’t sting. They bludgeon, and they stink. Some people insist that you’re wrong. They trash talk your sources, but they provide no direction. If you’re told that hornets are wasps, you can verify that in less than sixty seconds. There are other people who tell you that you’re wrong on something more complex, and when you ask for proof, you get told that 1) you’re stupid, and 2) it’s not their job to educate you, so 3) they’re not going to waste their time suggesting a place to begin learning. I may be wrong, but it seems to me that unless someone is paranoid about “their” information being stolen from them (I’ve encountered that among genealogists) most people who know something, who actually have some information, are at least willing to share where to begin to look. I know that it’s when I’m not sure of my information that I am uncomfortable sharing my sources. I may not remember where I found something, but if I don’t, I’ll generally admit it.
Those who love discipline, love knowledge, but let’s go back to a different sort of discipline. Spanking is not the same as beating. Spanking focuses on the spankee learning a lesson. Beating focuses on venting frustration or rage. The problem is, both the spanker and the beater are likely to say, “It’s for your own good.” In one case, it’s true. It the other case, it’s gaslighting. This is basically the same situation as in the last paragraph. True correction and true discipline is meant to help the one corrected or disciplined. The other sort is meant to harm the corrected one while building up the ego of the corrector.
Lord, correct us, discipline us because we know that Your correction and Your discipline are for our good. Withhold our hands from correction or discipline that is meant to harm another. Teach us to correct or discipline only in love and for the benefit of the one corrected. Give us the wisdom to recognize when the one correcting is acting out of hate, and the strength to gracefully and lovingly reject that hate.
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