Collections, Connections, & Corrections

People like to collect things - just about anything, actually.  For some, it's shoes.  For others, it's newspaper clippings.  Still others collect toys.  Years ago, I collected quite a few logo golf balls, and now they're part of my history.  These collections people have are most valuable to the collector much of the time, and usually the passion of the collector renders them relatively priceless.  Inherently, some collections are "worth a lot of money;" but it's likely that most collections have no real monetary value, and it's unlikely that amount is ever collected in exchange for the items anyway.

I have a collection of dear friends who are as vastly diverse as the prismatic shades of light.  We became friends at different points in different places and share different histories and experiences; but those priceless friends are beyond a collection.  When a friend is trusted and feels fully accepted, it is almost inevitable to experience correction.

Correction from a person whose love you know is genuine can provide a special kind of connection, if (and that's a big "if") we are humble enough to allow for it.  Proverbs (and elsewhere in the Scriptures) repeatedly admonishes us to listen to wise counsel, keep wise company, and not turn away from godly correction.  Pride would be the barrier in most cases to resistance of correction from a wise person; and it's something we all have without learning how to enact it (ever met a two-year-old).  Pride is the voice of "no," and "mine," and plenty of other selfish toddler shouts.

Jotting with Johnna
How do you respond when someone corrects you?  Do you have a collection of folks whose connection makes correction more acceptable and applicable?  Is a friend able to hold you accountable?  What steps can you take to be teachable in the face of correction?

Remember:  you are so very worthy of the purposeful growth that correction can bring you.

Stay tuned.  Stay focused.  Stay well.