Broken but still working.

Proverbs 17:10:

“A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.”

Today’s Episode: Broken but still working.

Somebody says, “Can I tell you something?”

And you say, “Sure.”

But inside? You’re putting on a helmet.

We say we welcome feedback. Then somebody gives us some, and suddenly we need their qualifications, three references, and a background check.

Now, sometimes the criticism really is wrong. You get to examine it. But sometimes somebody who cares about us can find that thing we’ve been stepping around, and straight up call it out.

This verse says correction reaches a discerning person more deeply than a hundred lashes reach a fool. The contrast is about responsiveness. Pain by itself doesn’t make us wise. A teachable heart can receive what force never gets through.

Listen to the opening of Proverbs 17:10 in The Passion Translation:

“One word of correction breaks open a teachable heart.”

Oooo…”Breaks open.”

That phrase stays with me.

A seal on a bottle can ‘break open’ without destroying the bottle. It still works. Now somebody can appreciate what was inside the bottle.

Maybe a loving correction opens something we had locked up. “You weren’t listening.” “That joke hurt.” “I need you to show up.”

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch!

But if we can stay with what’s true, we might finally hear somebody we love.

Being teachable doesn’t mean giving everybody permission to be all in your business. Humiliation can shut a person down. Wise correction makes room for responsibility and repair.

And I want to carry that picture beyond correction, into those places where life has wounded us.

Your heart can get broken, but it is not broken down.

You may need rest. Support. Time before you trust again. Openness can grow slowly, with boundaries around it.

Sometimes healing means being able to say, “That hurt me,” and letting a safe person hear it. Sometimes it means admitting, “I hurt you,” and now that I realize what I did, I won’t do it anymore.

There’s still life in that heart. Still room to learn how to love with more care.

Maybe it was only “broken” to “open up’ to more capacity.

🔥 REMEMBER

You can admit what needs to change and still believe you’re worth the work.

🙏🏽 PRAYER

God, hold my heart when it breaks, enlarging my capacity.

🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGE

Ask someone you trust, “What’s one thing I could do to listen better?” Write down their answer without defending yourself. Try that one change in your next conversation, then note what you did.

About the Author

Fred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch

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