God sent the prophet Nathan to confront King David over his affair with Bathsheba. As king, David had the power to have Nathan put to death. But he didn’t. He humbled himself, received correction, repented, and was restored to his throne and God’s favour. Question: can you be corrected? If you can, your future is bright and your potential is great. But you must be discerning. Not all correction is constructive and therefore does not have to be accepted. Someone may desire to tear you down, diminish your self-esteem, or manipulate you into accepting their way of thinking. So you must make it a habit to analyse the motives of the person who is correcting you. Ask yourself these questions:

1) In the past, has this person shown a genuine concern for my personal well-being and development?

2) What does he or she gain personally if I accomplish the behaviour they are recommending? What do I gain? What do I lose?

3) Is their attitude one of kindness, or am I feeling attacked and demeaned? (Be careful; don’t confuse a person’s irritation over your behaviour as a personal attack.)

4) After they criticise me, do I feel like a hopeless failure, or do they communicate faith in my capacity to change?

5) Are they dedicated to sticking with me through the change? The Bible says, ‘Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful’ (Proverbs 27:6 KJV). Since God loves you enough to send people into your life to correct you, receive them because they have your best interests at heart.