It was the first day of my MBA existence. By God's grace I managed to test out of the introductory marketing course and now sat among the second year students facing Professor Chamberlin. Chamberlin—a Harvard grad and a guy with a bazillion years of experience in companies like Procter & Gamble, H. J. Heinz, Coca-Cola and Cadbury Schweppes.

"What should the manager do?" asked Chamberlin, pointing to the business case in front of us. Silence. No one dared answer. "C'mon. If you don't venture out, I can't mold you" Chamberlin coaxed. After another moment of silence, I raised my hand and suggested the manager in the case should ask in a survey what price customers were willing to pay.

"Now you won't read this in a text, but you NEVER ask what price a customer is willing to pay on a marketing survey" Chamberlin explained matter-of-factly. He called on another student who offered a brilliant answer, and left me bobbing like a crushed soda can in the wake of speeding boat.

Have you ever had to be corrected? It's fun, isn't it? Uh huh—about as fun as a swimming in a tank of sea eels. (Okay, so I've never swum in a tank of eels, but it's probably about as delightful.) Unlike swimming in a tank of eels however, God prescribes correction as a necessary ingredient for growth in our careers, our spiritual lives, our marriages, our ministries. You get the idea. Responding to correction is not optional for the believer.

So how do you respond to criticism? Seriously, think about the last time someone corrected you (or tried to). It doesn't matter if the person was right or not, whether he was qualified to make such statements, or what his motives were. Throw those "yeah, but" objections out the window for a moment and examine the dynamics of how you receive correction.

Did you immediately try to justify yourself? Did you go to a friend and say, "You won't believe what so-and-so just told me! Who does he think he is?" Or, did you listen—really mull over the criticism and get confirmation from reliable people about whether there was truth in the statement? Did you receive words even callously delivered as potential gifts?

So, did I perceive Chamberlin's wise instruction as a gift? Heck no! I went home, flopped on my bed and wallowed. While sucking my proverbial thumb I reflected on my embarrassment and did what any reasonable person would do—tried to think of someone who needed correction more than I.

I found him in the Apostle Peter. Peter is such a great comfort to those of us who have to be corrected frequently. At least our gaffes aren't recorded for all of history to reflect on like poor Peter's were. Talk about a blundering blunderbuss!

Peter was not a scholarly overachiever like Apostle Paul. And unlike John, he was never so secure in his relationship with Christ that he could describe himself as "the disciple Jesus loved."

No, Peter was all over the place—full of zeal for his Rabbi one minute, the next minute saying something completely stupid with just as much passion. And Jesus corrected him. Frequently. Can you think of a disciple Jesus had to correct more often?

When Peter started to sink after walking on the water, Jesus said, "Why did you doubt?" When Peter claimed undying love for Christ, Jesus stated, "Before the cock crows you will deny me three times," thereby confronting Peter with the true condition of his heart. When Peter chastised Jesus for talking about being crucified, Jesus rebuked him with an abrupt "Get behind me, Satan!" (Yow. At least all I got from Chamberlin was "don't ask people about pricing.") In fact, when Peter blathered on about building shelters for Moses, Elijah and Jesus during the Transfiguration, God himself had to thunder from Heaven and tell Peter to hush up.

Now that's correction.

The weird thing is, Jesus absolutely loved this guy. He did! He took Peter with him everywhere. Peter was in that exclusive club of three, along with James and John, who got to see the Transfiguration and pray with Jesus his last night of freedom. Yes, the Exclusive Three fell asleep, but that's not the point. The point is, Jesus wanted Peter near him during his most difficult night on earth.

Jesus called this oh-so-in-need-of-correction disciple, "rock." Rock. Imagine that. Jesus must have been prophesying each time he called Peter "rock" because Peter was no steady rock—until after Pentecost. And even then Paul had to correct him publicly for backing off his own revelation about fellowshipping with Gentiles!

The bottom line here comes straight from the epistle to the Hebrews:

"…do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:5-6; 11).

My days of marketing class with Professor Chamberlin are long over, but not my days of being corrected. The ironic thing is, now I'm an editor; I correct people for a living. And I can tell you that nothing reveals a person's character quicker than correction.

Your usefulness to your boss depends on how well you respond to correction. Don't be fooled into thinking that your worth is based entirely on your successes. No one succeeds all the time, but the ones who can't accept correction don't take proper risks. Why? They can't stand to be wrong.

The same goes for church. Your usefulness…my usefulness…our usefulness is irrevocably tethered by God to our willingness to grow through humble submission to correction. Have you ever left a church because the leaders dared to correct you or someone you knew?

As an editor, I deal with all kinds of authors. Admittedly, it is gut wrenching to see your work—your pride and joy—tampered with by an editor. But, as an editor it is my job to spin gold from straw. I see a mediocre draft and delight in shaping it into something great. But some authors balk. They have been writing for so long, have worked in Fortune 500 companies, have seen so much more of the business world than I, and they know better. Sadly, without their willingness to submit to correction, we can't publish their work.

The same is true in God's kingdom. He looks at you and me and sees gold in the straw. He delights in shaping what is into the greatness that can be.

Let him…whatever the delivery method.

Copyright © 2005 Regent University School of Business/FaithInTheWorkplace.com.