Lord, Give Me a Reception to Correction

A couple of days ago, I was on my way to work after dropping the kids off at school. I’m not proud to say it, but I was putting on my makeup in the car while driving, something I’ve gotten into the habit of doing. I didn’t really think anything of it at the time; I was paying sufficient attention to the road in front of me.

As I pulled up to a stoplight, a lady pulled up next to me, honked her horn to get my attention and started flailing her arms, pointing at me and mouthing in a not so nice way what looked like, “quit doing what you are doing and pay attention.”

I just kind of stared back at her in disbelief. My first thought was, “How dare she. Doesn’t she know that I have a great driving record? I haven’t been in a car accident in 15 years, and that one wasn’t even my fault.”

Then the light turned green, and we went our separate ways. As I pondered the encounter, I began to think, “Maybe I should pay more attention. Maybe I shouldn’t just blow her off. Maybe this is God’s way of telling me to pay attention. Maybe this is His way of warning me—of sparing me from some tragic accident. Maybe I should heed this advice.”

Then this Psalm that I came across a couple of months ago came to mind: “Let the godly strike me! It will be a kindness! If they correct me, it is soothing medicine. Don’t let me refuse it.” (Psalm 141:5)

I want to have a humble heart that is open to correction—that receives it without pride. Correction is sometimes so very hard to hear from another person, but God may be using that person—my husband, a friend, or a crazy lady flailing her arms—to speak to me. So I’ve made the decision to make a conscious effort to pay more attention while driving and to stop doing little things that could distract me.

Lord, give me a tender heart, so that other’s words can bring healing in my life.