Many of you are in the thick of graduation season as we near the end of May. All this month, we’ve been offering graduates some pearls of wisdom from Proverbs to take with them as they embark on a new stage of life.

Today’s verse deals with something that nobody likes: reproof. What is reproof?

It’s when someone tells you what you’re doing wrong. Here are some synonyms for reproof: criticism, admonishment, reprehension, reprimand, disapproval. It’s when you get a rap on the knuckles.

Nobody likes this, least of all young adults. New grads often feel insecure in who they are. They haven’t yet found solid footing in so many areas of life, and when they get criticized along the way, they bristle. Some punch back. Some harden their hearts. Some wilt in shame.

But today’s Good Word says that a wise person allows reproof to enter into him. He considers it and examines it. He perceives the truth in the reproof and uses that truth to make changes for the better.

Today’s proverb basically says that a wise person doesn’t require a huge dose of reproof in order to benefit. A fool, on the other hand, never learns. He thinks he knows it all. Reproof is just haters hating. It’s old people imposing their outdated beliefs. It’s that people just don’t “get it.”

Oh dear grads, be wise and learn from the criticism you’re bound to face (constructive or not). And remember, the Lord can do great things with someone who has a teachable spirit.

This article has undergone ministry review and approval.