Handling Criticism!

Criticism is never pleasant--we get it from our bosses, co-workers, family and even friends. And unless each of us is planning to move to a remote island we must have a strategy for dealing with criticism whether it's just or unjust! Constructive criticism is designed to make us grow. Negative criticism on the other hand isn’t intended to help us but to make us feel inadequate and dumb. To handle negative criticism therefore a certain kind of character is necessary—HUMILITY. The Bible tells us that “Moses was a very humble man, more so than any man on the face of the earth,” Numbers 12:3.

It was Moses’ humility that enabled him to effectively handle the constant negative criticism of the people he was called to serve. He took their criticism to the Lord. We all need people around us who will challenge us, however, when we encounter negative criticism we must be gracious even to those who offend us as God is gracious to us when we offend him. Proverbs 15:1 tells us “A soft answer turns away wrath.”