Proverbs 9 - Do I handle people's criticism well?

“Whoever corrects a mocker invites insult; whoever rebukes a wicked man incurs abuse. Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Instruct a wise man and he will be wiser still; teach a righteous man and he will add to his learning. ~ Proverbs 9:7-9

One of the very hardest things about the Christian life is that I need to listen to the correction or rebukes of people around me. Now, I will be the first to admit, some people have very poor motives when they correct others: Revenge, Hatred, Arrogance, Concealment of their own faults, and, quite frankly, just plain old Meanness. However, I am instructed to look for the "kernal" of truth in what they say, no matter how small. What can I learn from this? What can benefit me for the future in what they are saying? Is this simply malicious, or is there something, ANYTHING, that I can take away.

That, to me, is the difference between someone who is a mocker and someone who is trying to become more like Christ. As one of the leaders at Hope, I take a certain amount of hits. It is a LOT less than most pastors I know, but they are still there. Each time this happens, I need to ask myself what element of this is true, and what else is going on in our relationship that would precipitate something like this. "O God, make me a wise man who "will become wiser still, and who will take correction as a gift from You!"

Trike