Do not rebuke a mocker or he will hate you; rebuke a wise man and he will love you. Proverbs 9:8

How do you take constructive criticsm? I am not talking about taking abuse from a person who is always finding something wrong with you, but constructive criticsm- designed to help you become better. It isn't easy, is it? Especially if you were sure you were doing things right in the first place. But rebuke and criticsm as well as praise help us to grow and mature beyond where we are today. Praise says you are doing great. Constructive criticsm, the RIGHT kind, says you can do even better tomorrow. So how do you take a rebuke or constructive criticsm? I know they are different animals, but our reaction to them can be the same; instant self-justification, hurt, and reasons why they are NOT right. Sometimes, the problem is that they ARE right, and we are just not willing to hear it. What is our reaction when we are convicted by God on something? Do we do the same thing? Justify ourselves? Compare ourselves to others doing worse? Have a rather lengthy pity party in which we are both the host and the guest?
For once, lets stop and listen without offering our justifications. Hear them out, and take some time to consider what they have said. Pray about it and allow God to show us how we can improve in an area. Some of the best personal growth I have had was in response to rebuke and criticsm. It allowed me to see beyond the sugar-coating I had created for myself into the real heart of the problem. Perhaps, there is some truth which will be the seed to help me grow forth.