I had lunch with someone a few weeks ago and left greatly challenged by his application of the gospel. He told me, "Geoff, this is the year of feedback. I'm trying to get feedback on everything from preaching to parenting."

One result from this desire is that he will be a better parent and preacher by the end of the year. From what I've heard, it is already beginning to show. I've learned some good stuff about parenting from the feedback given to him. So I guess I am, or will be, a better parent from his feedback.

Seeking feedback and evaluation is a great thing. God gives us each other that we would, well, build each other up. That doesn't happen without feedback.

The reason most of us, including myself, hate getting feedback is because we really don't believe the gospel. If we really believed the gospel, that we are 100% righteous before God AND others, that no one has a higher or lower standing, that God rejoices and dances over us, we'd seek feedback. Even negative feedback ought not to weaken our confidence or make us defensive.

It's what some people call a "gospel dynamic." How well we receive or seek feedback is directly tied to how much we really believe the gospel. Painfully hard for me to write this because I'm pointing the finger at myself, but it is 100% true. I think mine and our partial disbelief in the gospel is one of the main reasons feedback is so hard.