Prov 9:8 - Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you.
The maturity and wisdom of a person is exposed in how they handle feedback.
Giving feedback is an important part of development. Parents use feedback to help their kids learn lesson and behaviors that are acceptable. We take quizzes and tests in school to gain feedback on how well we learned tha material. Paychecks and appreciation are tools for the boss to give feedback to the employees. And consequences are a form of feedback from God to His children.
Feedback is healthy, but it's the way feedback is handled that demonstrates our wisdom. Bad grades, consequences, rebukes, even layoffs or firings can be a source for learning or for lashing out.
Proverbs spends time recognizing the difference in reactions. When you rebuke a person and they reject you, it's a goo sign of their lack of maturity. But when they listen and learn from it, it demonstrates their wise demeanor.
Unfortunately, we don't always handle every form of feedback wisely. Sometimes we take it personally, defensively, or arrogantly. Often we are quick to come up with excuses or blame to cover the feedback. But a wise minded person will often consider the feedback afterwards and make adjustments. The foolish person will hold a grudge against the feedback giver.
It takes love to give feedback in a proper way. And it takes love to listen to feedback with maturity. Feedback is a gift, so appreciate it and say thank you. Then consider it and discern the seeds of truth that are valid to plant in your life and throw out the rest.
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