An African folk tale suggests that the world’s first hippopotamus was not the bald, wrinkled animal we know today. Instead, he had the most beautiful fur coat and mane of all the animals. The hippo was so proud of his fur that he slept near the fire every night, so that all the other animals could admire him, even in the dark.
The lion warned the hippo not to sleep so close to the fire, but the hippo ignored him. “He’s just jealous,” the hippo thought. The jackal gave a similar warning, but the hippo felt disrespected and offended, so, each night, he continued to sleep closer and closer to the fire.
One night, the hippo rolled over in his sleep, and, sure enough, his fur caught on fire. He ran frantically to the nearby river, but it was too late. His beloved fur coat had burned off completely. Embarrassed, the hippo spent the rest of his existence hiding in the river, wishing he had listened to the counsel of his friends.[i]
At times, we might be more like that hippo than we realize. We don’t know what we don’t know, and we aren’t always pleased to have others tell us. According to a professor at Georgetown University, 95 percent of people think they are self-aware, but only 15 percent actually are.[ii] In other words, we could benefit from feedback. A kind and concerned friend or a loving family member can help us see things about ourselves that we simply cannot see—both the things we’re doing well and the things we may need to change.
Of course, it’s not easy to hear about our mistakes or weaknesses. But the alternative is to stay the way we are—and never improve. Willingness to be corrected is really the only path to life-changing personal growth. We don’t have to take correction as criticism; we could, instead, see it as a sign of love. As the biblical proverb says, “Whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.”[iii] When we open our hearts to receiving correction from loved ones—especially from the Lord, who loves us the most—we are really opening our hearts to receiving love.
[i] See Nigel Bristow, Where’s the Gift? (2000), 5–7.
[ii] See Erica Ostergar, citing Christine Porath, in “BYU Forum: Mastering Civility,” BYU News, Nov. 26, 2018, news.byu.edu.
[iii] Proverbs 3:12.
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April 30, 2023
Broadcast Number 4,885
The Tabernacle Choir
Orchestra at Temple Square
Conductor
Mack Wilberg
Ryan Murphy
Organist
Richard Elliott
Host
Lloyd Newell
Scatter Sunshine
Edwin O. Excell; Arr. Ryan Murphy
All Things Bright and Beautiful
John Rutter
Toccata, from Symphony no. 5
Charles-Marie Widor
Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
Frederic A. Challinor; Arr. Ryan Murphy
Over the Rainbow, from The Wizard of Oz
Harold Arlen; Arr. Arthur Harris
Arise, O God, and Shine
John Darwall; Arr. Mack Wilberg