The word “criticism” showed up on my radar very randomly a few times today.
Constructive criticism is a wonderful thing. It is rooted in encouragement. But all to often criticism is merely the byproduct of bitterness & jealousy.
I wanted to share some quotes that contain some practical wisdom:
“To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.”
- Elbert Hubbard
“There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”
- Zig Ziglar
“You have enemies? Good. That means you’ve stood up for something, sometime in your life.”
- Winston Churchill
“To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.”
- Theodore H. White
Good words of encouragement embedded here don’t you think? Making waves is never without drama.
We’ve all dealt with negative types whose ultimate goal is to bring us down with excessive or unfounded criticism. So how are we to deal with it as brothers and sisters in Christ? Luke 6:27-28 offers some great direction:
“But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you…”
I want these words to encourage and uplift you! It will save you trouble in the big picture. My own story goes somewhat like this…
Honestly, I had never really dealt much with malicious criticism from fellow believers until I served as a youth leader a few years ago. While the majority were very supportive and encouraging, there were a few who seemed to “look for the spec” at every opportunity. I gave those words too much power.I confess that I didn’t hold onto Luke 6:27-28 as I should have and even became resentful. Looking now, I see a bigger picture…maybe I was the scapegoat for feelings of parental failure that they were experiencing…maybe they were in the midst of the fight of their life…I don’t know. But I do know this. I have forgiven and moved on. I only wish I could hit a reset button and use that time and energy to pray for those critics with the compassion of Christ.
You matter..You have value..You are loved passionately by an awesome God!
-jamie
PS- For church leaders- If your ministry is growing..hold onto Luke 6:43 : “For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit