Let a righteous man strike me—it is a kindness;
let him rebuke me—it is oil for my head;
let my head not refuse it. (Psalm 141:5)
We are careful to make sure our code is error-free before we put it into production. We have many different ways of doing this: unit tests, compilers, continuous integration, code reviews - the list goes on. These quality control methods allow us to find and correct mistakes early before they ever create devastating runtime errors later on. Unfortunately, a novice developer is often stung by constructive comments in a code review or frustrated by compiler errors. But as they gain experience they begin to see that catching problems early is a good thing.
Are we as careful with our own hearts? Are we gaining the spiritual experience we need to see that catching problems in our hearts is a good thing as well? We should embrace God's providence in showing us our sin early through any means that he chooses. God may decide to build our character by having a personal confrontation where our sin is revealed by another person. He may also choose to convict us through a Bible verse. We never know what quality control method God may use to cleanse us of our sins but we must remember that these methods are sparing us from devastating consequences later on. Let us be as zealous about humbly accepting God's discipline as we are about testing our code.
Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. (Revelation 3:19)