Learning to Deal with Criticism

Everyone who is truly successful in life has to deal with criticism. Sometimes criticism comes from people who do not understand what we are doing, cannot see the vision we see, or are jealous of our success. Sometimes criticism is legitimate but isn’t delivered in a helpful way. Learning to deal with it in a godly way is always a great testimony to the people around us.

In Matthew 10:10–14, Jesus tells His disciples how to deal with criticism or with people who will not receive their message. His advice: “Shake it off.” Jesus Himself was criticized frequently, and He usually ignored it (Matthew 27:11–12). Often, the best way to respond to criticism is to say nothing at all. But when you must respond, here are a few suggestions for handling criticism in a godly way:

I still have to remind myself of this. Once I hurt my voice by speaking in a seminar with an extremely sore throat. That morning when I woke up, I knew I shouldn’t speak, but I thought about the disappointment of the audience if I didn’t. So, I forced myself to speak, but the next day I could not make a sound. I couldn’t the next day, either, or the day after that. The condition continued, and I began to worry. I finally went to the doctor, who told me I had damaged my vocal cords. He said each time we push ourselves beyond reasonable limits, we do some damage, and if we do it too often, we get to a point where we can’t recover. He said it might reach a point where I could not teach at all if I did not respect my voice and take care of it.

• Don’t get defensive. Remember, God is your defense; He is your vindicator.
• Don’t get angry or upset. Keep your peace, because peace brings power.
• Don’t retaliate with criticism toward your critic.
• Don’t assume your critic is wrong without being willing to examine yourself.
• Don’t assume your critic is right and start feeling guilty without consulting God.
Thank your critics, because they help you see things others wouldn’t.

The Bible says only a fool hates correction (see Prov. 12:1), and although I believe that is true, I must say that in my life I have only known one person who I can honestly say appreciated it—and it wasn’t me, although I wish I could say it was. Probably like most of you, I am somewhere between hating correction and loving it, but I am striving to have a positive attitude toward correction as well as everything else in life.

Prayer of the Day: Lord, I come to You today in the name of Jesus and ask that You help me handle criticism with grace and humility, trusting You as my defense and remembering Your wisdom in responding calmly, without retaliation, and with a peaceful heart.