Facing My Critics

Living in this world won’t be complete without people tailing your back, tagging there selves intently in your life to nag, to give out vicious feedback about what you did and said and to satisfy their egos by just simply letting you feel you’re being unwanted. Others do it the right way, criticizing to help and reconstruct what was being made and done in ways they don’t approve or they don’t believe is correct. To criticize is to correct, not to destruct. Criticism could be treated one way or another. It may be hard to get along with some people who wish to be a part of your world by insinuating things you had omitted.

Being human with many ups and downs in life, I had tasted sumptuous criticisms from people who saw me incomplete, a mess and not in shape. A few were nice and slow to voice-over and gave reviews and mostly (I say) concentrated on where ‘they think’ I screwed up which made me irate and uncomfortable with them. Constructive criticism should be helpful, does not insinuate and does not insult. Destructive and negative knocker is not a bright idea when one opts to lend a hand by saying hurtful things in an analyzing and nice manner.

Let’s find out how Jesus dealt with conflict when He was on Earth.

*Jesus loved people. “Jesus tried to please those whom He came in contact but, He didn’t try to please in every way. He wouldn’t go with them into evil.” It’s hard to please everybody and we cannot please everybody. Each single person has his/her own standards and one cannot do all the demands and desire of all people - alone.

*Jesus learned the hard lesson of silence and patient endurance. Persecutors are ugly, but Christianity loses when a Christian turns ugly in response. In Matthew 5 Jesus said “Love your enemies. Do well to those who hate you.” I recall the days when I felt I was abused and maltreated by sour words. I had wanted to give them a duel even a dogfight but I chose not to. It’s like, better be silent than to lose control and give way to what Satan desires – hostility and unkindness. I contained myself and prayed. Later, it all went good.

               
“When you refuse to fight with the weapons of your attackers, it seems like shameful defeat to the onlooking world. But the onlooking Christ wipes a tear-trickle from the corner of His eyes and smile for triumph.” Hayaan mo silang magalit sayo, kamuhian ka, i-condemn ka. Huwag kang papatol kasi mas lalaki yung gulo. Let your silence do the talking and let God work in ways and the rest.

*Jesus prayed for His persecutors. Again in Matthew 5 He commands “Pray for those who persecute you.” He practiced what He preached. “Father, forgive them” He gasped between spasms of crucifixion pain (Luke 23:34). The Deacon Stephen, Jesus’ follower cried in Acts 7:60 as football-size stones slammed into His body “Lord! Do not hold this sin against them.” What an act! An act of kindness, an act of consideration, an act of love, an act of being Godly, an act of being a true Christian.

               
I had trouble doing this for people who got me wounded, for those who had hurt me and humiliated me but as I digest the command of Christ I learned how to pray for them.

             

I will permit no man to narrow and degrade my soul by making me hate him. -Booker T. Washington