Question

How should we respond to a friend's correction?

We should seek a parent's or mentor's counsel.
We should seek a parent's or mentor's counsel.
We should block all contact with the person.
We should thoughtfully and prayerfully consider their advice.
We should belittle the person on social media.
We should accept their criticism as truth and correct our behavior.

Answer 1

Good responses: seek a parent's or mentor's counsel; thoughtfully and prayerfully consider their advice. Those are constructive: get wise outside perspective, reflect (and pray, if that’s part of your practice), and weigh what was said.

Be careful about these:
- “Accept their criticism as truth and correct our behavior.” Don’t automatically accept every criticism as 100% true. Instead, evaluate it honestly, admit and change what’s valid, and discard or discuss what’s mistaken.
- “Block all contact” and “belittle the person on social media.” Those are usually harmful. Don’t retaliate or publicly shame someone for correcting you. Blocking might be appropriate only if the person is abusive or correction is repeated in a hostile way — but it should be a last resort.

A short practical approach:
1. Listen without defending. Ask clarifying questions.
2. Thank them for caring.
3. Reflect/pray and check the facts.
4. Get counsel from a trusted mentor or parent if needed.
5. If feedback is valid, apologize and change. If it’s not, explain calmly or set boundaries.
6. Avoid public shaming or hostile responses.