Exhilaration vs. Exhileration

did you catch my spelling error in the recent blog. i put an e instead of an a in the middle of exhilaration. i've got a really good friend who pointed that out to me yesterday-with a big smile of authentic love. and you know what i did? i smiled back with a pretty good sized smile of authentic gratitude.

now that may not seem like much to you, but if you know me very well, you're probably aware that my return smile is a fairly new deal for me when it comes to having people point out my mistakes. i've been marked all too often and far too long by a pretty strong streak of defensiveness.

by the way, defensiveness is a euphemism for pride, self-sufficiency, arrogance, and self-righteousness. defensivness says in essence: "i'm above your correction" (pride); "i don't need your correction; if i have problems i can handle them on my own" (self-sufficiency); "i am really the one who should be correcting you, because i'm right and you're wrong" (arrogance); "i am so good and so near perfection that i have no real issues to be corrected" (self-righteousness). such sins all too often marked my heart in the face of correction.

so when my friend corrected my spelling yesterday and i felt hardly a ripple of such arrogance in response, i was glad in the transforming mercy of God. God has changed me! don't get me wrong: i have to battle against my flesh on this issue every day. but the fact is that a humble response to correction has become a more common feature of my life-and it makes me weep over the kindness of God toward me.

here are a couple things that have helped me gain some victory:
1. i know where i stand in Christ. Romans 8:33-39 make it real clear that no one can accuse me or correct me or find fault with me in any way that can change my place in the justfying love of God in Christ. i'm untouchable, invincible and secure in the righteousness of Jesus.
2. i have learned that no one bring any sin or mistake to my attention that God does not know about already. God's love for me in Jesus is so full, so complete, so perfect and so bold, that it was able to see all that i am in all my sin and flaws, and choose to love me still. my friends and family may be surprised by my sins or mistakes, but God isn't. His eyes have always been wide open to them-and yet He has made me (and all who are in Christ the delight of His love).
3. i have learned that God uses correction as a primary means of grace (instrument of change into holiness) in my life. the Proverbs are filled with commendations of those who are open to correction, with promises of rich blessing and change attached. so correction is really a gift to be loved, not a foe to be resisted.

so thanks my friend for correcting my spelling. you not only taught me something, you reminded me of how God's grace has been changing me. and everyone else: please feel free to correct anything else that you think needs attention. i need it, and because i'm in Jesus, i can handle it (at least better than i used to!).

you may want to check our C.J. Mahaney's book, Humility, if you want more help in the receiving of correction grace from others. it's sure helped me. go to www.sovereigngraceministries.org and their bookstore.

P.S.-by the way, if you find any more speling erors, blaim it on my cumputer or fateeg or sumthing else. i'm sure it wazn't me.