The Right Way to Receive Criticism
One of the hardest things for me and for most people is being criticized. It is difficult to listen without being defensive and getting angry at the person who is leveling the criticism at me. Many times I have messed up by responding in anger or by giving a lot of reasons why I should not really be receiving the criticism. I have made things worse, and I have missed the lessons I should have learned. I wish I would have learned sooner how to receive criticism. It would have helped my marriage, my family, and my ministry.
The Lord taught me what to do by showing me how David responded to people who were negative about him, and from passages he wrote in his psalms. David did not always respond correctly either, but he did know the right way to receive criticism. He realized that he should let the Lord vindicate him, if that is what was really needed. He did not need to defend himself. He did not need to get angry. If the criticism was true, he knew to confess his sin. If it was unwarranted, God would cause people around him to see the real truth. That is a very wise way to handle any type of criticism.
The truth is that we will all be criticized many times by many people. There is no way to avoid it. Some will be false accusations that come from envy or other wrong motives. However, some accusations are true. We need to allow the Lord to show us if we have sinned. If we have, we should confess our sins to the Lord first and then, make it right with those we have harmed. If we are not guilty, we allow God to vindicate us. Usually, this happens because we have lived a life that is consistently trying to live righteously before the Lord and people. Therefore, when people hear an unfair criticism, they will not believe it. God will show them it is not consistent with the way we will our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 18-20.
The Lord taught me what to do by showing me how David responded to people who were negative about him, and from passages he wrote in his psalms. David did not always respond correctly either, but he did know the right way to receive criticism. He realized that he should let the Lord vindicate him, if that is what was really needed. He did not need to defend himself. He did not need to get angry. If the criticism was true, he knew to confess his sin. If it was unwarranted, God would cause people around him to see the real truth. That is a very wise way to handle any type of criticism.
The truth is that we will all be criticized many times by many people. There is no way to avoid it. Some will be false accusations that come from envy or other wrong motives. However, some accusations are true. We need to allow the Lord to show us if we have sinned. If we have, we should confess our sins to the Lord first and then, make it right with those we have harmed. If we are not guilty, we allow God to vindicate us. Usually, this happens because we have lived a life that is consistently trying to live righteously before the Lord and people. Therefore, when people hear an unfair criticism, they will not believe it. God will show them it is not consistent with the way we will our lives.
Tomorrow, I intend to read II Samuel 18-20.