My friend, may I ask you a question? When you expect a load of criticism, does it makes it a whole lot easier to carry the load when it comes? The Bible tells us that we need “to keep a clear conscience” because criticism will come and if we are prepared for it, we will only have to be able to be lifted up over it?
My friend, life’s a story, welcome to This Passing Day. I’m Mark Brunner.
A number of years ago I had to lay a new concrete floor in my garage. After getting the old cement mixer in shape and then figuring out just how many square yards of concrete I would be laying, I went to my local lumber yard to order the dry mix that I would need to complete the job. After inspecting the various brands that were available, the decision came down to 40-pound bags or 80-pound bags. Neither was easy to lift; but that is the nature of concrete. I finally decided on the heavier bags believing that it would be easier to handle fewer bags in the long run. When my order arrived and the weekend came, I marched out to the pallet, measured in my mind what it would take to lift each 80-pound bag, and began hefting the bags with that expectation. Had they been 40-pound bags I would have lifted each differently keeping in mind that I had that many more bags to bend over for. But these were 80-pounders and I attacked the pile with that expectation.
In the same way, when we are dealing with criticism in our lives, fair or unfair, one of the best ways of handling it is to understand that some will be inevitable and we need to be prepared for it. Being criticized is not a problem if you develop a positive way of dealing with it. Winston Churchill had the following words of Abe Lincoln framed on the wall of his office: “I do the very best I can. I mean to keep going. If the end brings me out all right, then what is said against me won’t matter. If I’m wrong, ten angels swearing I was right won’t make a difference.” (Bits & Pieces, April 29, 1993, pp. 15-16)
For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism. I believe we could call that Newton’s laws of critics? Whatever the case, the lesson is this. When you expect a load of criticism, it makes it a whole lot easier to carry the load when it comes. The Bible tells us that we need “to keep a clear conscience” because criticism will come and if we are prepared for it, we will be able to be lifted up over it. If we are right, we need to keep moving on. If we are wrong, Lincoln was right– “Ten angels swearing” we were right “won’t make a difference.”
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" (Matt 6:34)
We pray. Lord, One of the most difficult things in life for many of us, if not all of us, is to listen to criticism, whether done out of love or outside of it. Criticism directly wounds our pride and gives us the feeling of worthlessness and emptiness. So often we place it on the top five list of things we want to avoid in life. Yet, Lord, You use criticism to teach us, sharpen us, and at times turn us away from a wrong path that we have entered onto. Forgive us Lord when we are overcome by criticism and unable to put it into the right perspective of value and importance in our lives. Help us Lord to listen to it, make good decisions and then trust that right or wrong, in the end we just have to move on. In Jesus name we pray. Amen!
Therefore my friend, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself; each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matt 6:34) This Passing Day. May this passing day honor our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and be a blessing to you and everyone you meet. Find a stranger and say hello. Don't let another day pass without your day blessing someone else.
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<thispassingday@gmail.com> From Beech Springs, God bless you for Jesus sake.