ODJ: let’s get critical
December 18, 2011
An open rebuke is better than hidden love! Wounds from a sincere friend are better than many kisses from an enemy (vv.5-6).
READ: Proverbs 27:1-17
In The Last Lecture, Professor Randy Pausch described a particularly bad day when his hardnosed football coach yelled at him and made him do push-ups for messing up some moves. Afterward, an assistant coach helped Randy put his bad practice in perspective. “Coach Graham worked you pretty hard, didn’t he?” the coach asked. Then he continued, “That’s a good thing. When you’re messing up and nobody says anything to you anymore, that means they’ve given up on you.”
Being berated by a boss is one of life’s most painful experiences, which is why Randy remembered it when he wrote his memoir. We instinctively duck and deflect, focusing on their anger issues rather than whether there is any truth in what they’re saying. How dare they treat me like that! we fume. Yet we miss an opportunity to consider their criticism and grow as a person.
Nobody likes to be told they’re doing something wrong, but it’s the only way we ever improve. Regardless of motives or manners, our critics can be our friends. So rather than defend ourselves by pointing out a critic’s flaws, we must consider the possibility that elements of the criticism we received could be true. If we determine that we have been lazy, careless, or unkind, we must repent. We can pray, “Lord, I’m sorry for my sin. I was wrong and out of line. Yet today, with Your help, I choose to be diligent, disciplined, and to value the feelings of others more than myself.”
God accepts us just as we are, but He loves us too much to allow us to stay that way. He challenges us in areas that need improvement, and sometimes He uses our critics to get His point across. Take heart when you receive valuable criticism, for though it means you messed up, it also means God still believes in you. —Mike Wittmer
What criticism do you need to reconsider? How can you determine which aspects are true? What is good criticism and what is bad criticism?
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