The way of fools seems right to them,
but the wise listen to advice.
Proverbs 12:15
Such a simple verse, yet so difficult to apply.
From reading this verse it almost seems impossible to know if you're on the right track in life, doesn't it?
If you are a fool, you will not realize it, because you will think you are on the right path.
Sometimes, however, if you are on the right path, you will get a lot of criticism from others, as the right path is, many times, unpopular.
Other times, you will be on the wrong path, yet the people around you will praise you for it.
So, how do you know if you're doing the right thing? It can be tough.
In this verse, God says that the wise man listens to advice. God says we need to be listening to feedback from other people about our life, and learn from it. Notice, in this verse, He doesn't say we ONLY need to listen to the feedback from people who we know will tell us what we want to hear. We are to listen to all of the feedback, and discern if there is something we need to change about our life.
Do you know what many of us do in this situation? Many of us justify our behavior by saying that we were right. Many times we can even prove using the Bible that what we said was right, thereby "justifying" ourselves, and considering the feedback from others as "persecution." I believe this is the most dangerous trap that many of us fall into in our lives. Most of the time, however, the feedback others are giving us is not because of what we said. It's either because of the way we said it, the pride that lived behind it, the timing in which it was said, etc....Overall, it most likely was the attitude behind the statement that brought the criticism.
Today, let's be aware of the feedback we receive from other people. when we receive criticism from others, especially when it comes from many people, let's make sure we ask questions behind the criticism, so we can fully understand what it is they believe we are doing or saying wrong. Once we understand the details, let's pray and search the Bible to understand if there is something in our lives that we need to adjust.
The reality is this: most of the time when we consider criticism from others as "persecution" for doing the right thing, the true issue is our own pride is showing, and people are reacting badly to it.
