Proverbs 12:15 “A stubborn fool considers his own way the right one, but a person who listens to advice is wise.”
Kevin and I became involved with a family who moved to this area 3 years ago. This family moved from a small town in Montana where the social and governmental rules are different than they are in Walla Walla so this family had difficulty fitting in. They were rejected by their neighbors soon after their arrival. We tried to gently give advice to help them, but quickly discovered this family didn't want advice or help. As we got to know them better we could see they were headed for destruction, but there was nothing we could do to help them. They stubbornly refused any help. Two years later the family fell apart, they had legal problems, and neighbors were trying to get them evicted.
It wasn't until this family found themselves is so much trouble that they finally reached out for help. They sought counseling, went to parenting classes, and came to us for advice with their home and yard. They accepted our gentle hints on keeping their two youngest in clothes and their yard and how to conduct themselves properly so the neighbors would be more accepting of them. Now they are like a completely different family. Their children are well-behaved, considerate, and very charming. The family is much happier and a joy to be around. They have still have their own style and ways of doing things, but now those ways are legal and appropriate. We've been thrilled to watch the neighbors gradually warm up and become friendly with this family.
A person doesn't have to be falling apart as this family was, to be considered a stubborn fool who thinks his way is the only way. The self-righteous person is just as bad. Anyone who thinks they have all the answers and refuses to prayerfully consider the advice of another falls into the category of a stubborn fool. That person becomes mulish in their attitude. They bulldoze on in their way, not caring who they run over or harm by their actions. Proverbs describes this person as a brute animal. “Whoever loves instruction loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is like a brute animal. “ Proverbs 12:1
Proverbs 13:10, 18 “By pride there only cometh contention; but with the well-advised is wisdom. Someone who will not learn will be poor and disgraced. Anyone who listens to correction is respected.”
It is pride that makes a person so unwilling to accept advice. It is pride that refuses to admit a need or a weakness. It is pride that leads a person into arguments and fights instead of prayerfully listening to the counsel of others. It is also pride that causes us to look like fools and bring ourselves into disgrace. But the person who prayerfully considers advice is the person who is respected.