Handle Criticism Well

Nobody enjoys criticism.

At least I don’t. Even after all these years, there’s still something inside me that wants to explain myself, defend myself, or prove that I’ve been misunderstood. Maybe you’re the same way.

But life has taught me that criticism comes with the territory. If you lead, you’ll be criticized. If you stand for something, someone will disagree. If you try to please everyone, you’ll eventually lose yourself.

The older I get, the more I realize that not every criticism deserves equal weight. Some criticism is unfair. Some is uninformed. And some of it contains wisdom we desperately need.

Discernment is learning the difference. Because pride rejects all criticism. Wisdom listens carefully and keeps growing.

Jesus was criticized constantly. Too compassionate for some. Too bold for others. Too forgiving. Too confrontational. No matter what He did, someone found fault.

Yet He never allowed criticism to determine His identity. His confidence rested in His Father, not in public opinion.

Epictetus observed: “If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses. Simply answer, ‘He does not know my other faults, or he would not have mentioned only these.’”

There’s a humility and freedom in those words.