Message
In Yorubaland, where I come from, the elders have an adage that says, ‘The lantern cannot see its own bottom.’ What they mean by this saying is that, no matter how knowledgeable a fellow is, there are areas in the fellow’s life that will be hidden from his or her view. This is why you must be willing to receive feedback from others who can see you more objectively than you can see yourself.
In , the Lord said that some people, according to their own judgment, believed they had everything going well for them because they were rich and appeared not to lack anything; however, by His own standards, they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked.
If a person is too proud to receive feedback, people will see the fellow walking towards a ditch and leave him or her to fall into it. says that in the multitude of counsellors, there is safety. People who are open to corrections and feedback tend to escape many troubles, while those who think they know it all often stumble into avoidable problems.
Jesus is described as the wisdom and power of God in , yet when He came to earth, He sat under teachers, listening to them and asking them questions (), and the Bible recorded that He grew in wisdom (). He was also open to feedback, as we see in , where He asked His disciples to tell Him what other men, and even they themselves think of Him.
In today’s Bible reading, Apollos was already an established teacher of the word before he met Aquilla and Priscilla. When they heard him teach, however, they recognised that he needed further insight and knowledge of God’s word. As a result, they took him aside to expound the way of the Lord to him more perfectly. Submitting to their mentorship and feedback helped Apollos become a better teacher of the word, who mightily proved to the Jews through the Scriptures that Jesus is the Saviour.
Beyond submitting to mentors and being open to learning and growth, how a fellow receives and processes feedback will determine whether he or she will grow or remain stagnant. Beloved, if you want to grow in wisdom, you must be willing to humble yourself to listen and learn from others. You should also ask the Holy Spirit for guidance at all times. I pray you will continue to grow in wisdom and favour before God and man, in Jesus’ name.