Criticize

“The people who accept criticism are the ones who are genuinely interested in self-improvement.”
~~ Anonymous

When criticism comes our way, we all suddenly turn into starship warriors, immediately deploying force fields to protect ourselves against the discomfort and judgment that comes with it. Yet, by doing that, we often prevent ourselves from realizing the stellar opportunity that criticism offers.
Criticism, even that which we feel is groundless, provides an opportunity to better understand ourselves or understand how others perceive us. And we can use that understanding to make necessary improvements in ourselves and/or in our interactions with others.

So when we say we are “accepting criticism,” we mean that we are accepting the opportunity it offers to support ourselves and our personal effectiveness. And that’s something we don’t want to protect ourselves from

1 Comment

  1. Mary Ann Wray on September 22, 2015 at 6:59 pm

    constantly. He that sows discord is identified in the Book of Proverbs as someone the Lord hates. You can’t please everyone in a family, ministry, job setting etc. The spirit in which ‘criticism’ is given identifies the heart of the person who is critical. I tell you that most criticism is not for the greater good but from a heart of pride “I can do it better.” It will create an undercurrent of opposition and stop the flow of the Holy Spirit. When you are in spiritual leadership you are the brunt of endless criticism. It can crush your spirit if you let it. We have to trust the Holy Spirit to let us know when we miss the mark by trusted co-laborers in Christ and self-examination. I believe the Body of Christ needs to extend forgiveness and grace to one another because love covers a multitude of sins. I’m not suggesting that we should wink at immorality and blatant disobedience but we should be less critical and not so quick to get offended at people’s short comings.

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