The “C” s THAT WILL HELP YOU (17)- CORRECTION 

We were with a dear teacher, asking questions regarding leadership. He said to us, “Pastor Temi, anyone that is not being instructed or corrected is not being trained. Anyone that is not being trained will soon become a major source of trouble”. That is a very true statement.

Correction means to make a change that makes something right. To correct means to amend, adjust, alter, modify, or improve on a thing. A correction is a change that makes something more accurate than it was before. 

As a leader for some years, I have realized that correction can be like weaning a child. I remember when we wanted to wean Danielle from the breastmilk; it was a tough demand both on Irewamiri and Danielle. Correction is always painful for the giver and the receiver. The giver finds it hard to give. The receiver, at times, finds it hard to receive. 

There are bad ways of receiving correction:

You can feel beaten down or trodden upon. Some people withdraw from anyone who can correct them or begin to give the person quiet treatment. You can become defensive. You can begin to show self-pity. You can see correction as being judged. You can also think that you are better than the person correcting you. You can give excuses. You can turn the table on others. You can explode in outright anger. Some resort to insult. Some hate the person who corrects them. 

There is a young man I pastored who sent me a message of gratitude about a correction he received almost three years after leaving our town. The weight of things dawned on him years later. 

Beloved, there are terrible alternatives to correction. You would not want to be in these alternatives, but unfortunately, many prefer some of these alternatives. 

First is silence. Some prefer this option, but it does not end well. Jacob kept quiet when Reuben slept with Bilhah. At the end of the day, when blessings were meant to drop for a generation, Jacob cursed his firstborn. Silence does not always end well. David kept quiet and did not correct Adonijah. Adonijah ended in rebellion. He died shamefully. 

The second is flattery. Flattery corrupts. Unfortunately, many prefer those who flatter them rather than those who correct them. Flattery is a slippery path. It never ends well. 

How, then, should you correct? 

Do it in gentleness. Use a gentle tone. Do not do it while you are still angry. Calm down. Find a proper time to do it. But do not withhold it. 

My beloved friends, if you see a believer who is overtaken with a fault, the one who is in the Spirit should seek to restore him in the Spirit of gentleness. 

Galatians 6:1 TPT

Do it in sincerity of heart and not with hypocrisy. Do not use correction to score cheap points. That would be terrible. 

Do it in love. It is easier to correct someone who knows that you love him or her genuinely. 

It’s better to be corrected openly if it stems from hidden love.

Proverbs 27:5 TPT

Without correction, we cannot go far in life. 

(You can listen to this teaching on the Beauty of Correction. Visit ngcc.church/the-beauty-of-correction/. It will help you).

© temilOluwa Ola, Eruwa