"... Hard is your word; Who can hear it? ... "(John 6:60)
Love is not enjoyed in injustice, so when we make mistakes we are acting unjustly, before God or our neighbor and therefore should not be surprised that our father reprimands us or exhorts us. Correction is a necessary facet in love. Thus, God can not consent when we have sinned. The words of encouragement, comfort or understanding are first for those who act according to his word and for the needy, but firm and authoritative for those who did not hear his word. His will is perfect, let's accept it.
The exhortation is a call to repentance. When our neighbor exhorts us with love, he is not seeking to attack or confront us, but humbly, we reflect on our faults and reach repentance, because among brothers in Christ, it is our responsibility to care for each other. Therefore, a rebuke is a fruit of love, not hate. Our Lord Jesus Christ taught this clearly: "Look for yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repented, forgive him "(Luke 17: 3).
However, we could confuse the exhortation with an affront. Sometimes we get angry because of the wrong behavior of a brother or sister and we can not bear to tell him how bad his behavior has been, then we end up throwing him in the face of his mistakes. The divine correction does not result in anger. To exhort our neighbor we must be wise (and demonstrate a great example!), Accurately measuring our words but without ceasing to be very honest. We will see that by correcting in holiness we can be of great help to our neighbor.
In Proverbs (13: 1) we can read: "The wise son receives the advice of the father; But the scoffer does not listen to reproofs. " So we too must be wise, mature and humble to accept the word of our father, whether it is tender and sweet, as well as when it is strict and exhortation. Let's learn to mature in the word of God, which is like milk and honey for those who start in it and of more solid consistency as we grow. The apostle Paul exhorts the Corinthians in this feeling: "So that I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to the flesh, as to children in Christ. I gave you to drink milk, and not lunch; because you were not yet able, nor are you still able "(1 Corinthians 3: 2).
So the word of exhortation from God is of divine authority, therefore it can be hard to accept if we have not yet grown spiritually. But it could also become great relief for our soul if we listen to it with humility.