Handling Criticism

I don’t know many people who like to be criticized. It seems to rub most people the wrong way, even when it is meant to be constructive.

Criticism can be healthy – even if the person is an enemy and tells us things that we need to hear when our friends won’t tell us. The smallest nugget of truth can be found if we take the time to find it. When someone criticizes us, there may be an underlying element of truth that we may need to deal with. How we react to the criticism makes all the difference to our future.

Remember: no matter what someone says or does to us, our forgiveness is crucial. When we dwell on the person’s behavior and do not forgive them, the trap of becoming like them is set. Years ago, someone told a lie about me that damaged my reputation and my name, and I got into a lot of trouble. I found bitterness in my spirit until God healed the wound. Then a few months later, the lie was exposed, and the one who had told the lie suffered at their own hands.

Turning over our hurt and anger to God and showing compassion, mercy and forgiveness to others is the only answer for healing and improvement. God is unable to forgive us when we have “unforgiveness” in our heart.

Proverbs 19:11: The understanding of a man makes him slow to anger, and his glory is to overlook a transgression.

Quote: It is true that hurt people usually hurt people. But remember: healed people can also heal people.