Admitting Mistakes

Admitting Mistakes

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.

Proverbs 11:14 (NKJV)

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD THIS? “You’re the one with the problem. I don’t need counseling.” The person who thinks he’s always right is mistaken. None of us are perfect. All of us need help. The book of Proverbs says that “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Why? Because other people can often bring clearer perspective to our problems. The person who refuses to seek counsel and tries to handle things on his own is often insecure. He thinks that to admit that he made a mistake is to prove that he is inadequate, and that is his greatest fear. Perhaps his father told him he would never make it, and he is trying hard to prove his father wrong.

How can you help, if you are married to this person? Give unconditional love. Speak her primary love language often. Brag on her in front of your friends, both in her presence and behind her back. Focus on her accomplishments. When she knows she is secure in your love, perhaps she will be able to admit that she’s not perfect. When she does, let her know how much you admire her for admitting her failures. When she sees that her success is not dependent on being perfect, she can relax and become the person God has made her to be.

Father, it’s sometimes hard for me to admit my own mistakes. Please help me to realize that pretending I’m perfect doesn’t make the problems go away but just makes things worse. When my spouse struggles with this, show me how to respond lovingly in a way that builds him or her up. Help me to love unconditionally, not based on what he or she does.

Self-reliance