“Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway" --Eleanor Roosevelt
People let all sorts of things stop them from moving forward. The thing I have found most debilitating to a vision or dream is fear of criticism! No matter what you do or how well you do it you are going to be criticized so you may as well move forward and do it anyway!
I knew a lady once who was literally petrified of rejection and the criticism of others. It became so bad she could not go anywhere without either her husband or a relative being with her. At first, it started small. She didn't want to go to the market alone. Then when she gave into that it went on to something else, like ladies meetings at the church. Finally, she could not even face people who loved and cared about her at church without someone who was close to her being with her. She would not get out of her home for anything for days at a time for fear of rejection and criticism! When you are a Christian there is no such thing as the "Lone Ranger". She had so many talents and was so gifted in many ways, but she couldn't give her gift for fear of what people would say and think. How sad this is for the world needed so desperately what she had to give!
People are going to criticize you no matter what you do. Even if you could be perfect they would say, "I can't be friends with him/her they are too perfect! They make me feel inferior!!" No matter what, you aren't going to always be liked or understood by all people. Where we go wrong is we take it personally instead of thinking, "Oh, God bless them and deliver THEM from a critical spirit!
There was one and only one perfect person Who walked the face to this earth and it is Jesus! Look what they did to Him. They crucified Him! Why? It couldn't have been because He deserved it, or because He had done something wrong. We know for a fact He never sinned and only went about doing good! He was crucified for being perfect!! People are very fickle! One day they are waving Him in with palm branches and welcoming Him and the next thing you know they are murdering Him! We know people found fault continually with Him, and they will with you, too for you are "not above your teacher" the word says! Notice Jesus didn't let people and their criticism stop Him. He just continued with what God called Him to do and continued to go "about doing good". That is what you will have to do as well! Just keep on going with all that God has called you to.
I had a pastor say something so strange one time. He said, "You have to do with compliments what you do with criticism...throw it all out of the window and keep going. The work you did yesterday is past. Today is a brand new day and you have to keep moving onward and upward!" Remember, yet again, people are fickle. Just like with Jesus, they will love you one day, and for no apparent reason seem like enemies the next. Don't let their "fickle" attitudes be the downfall of you. Just keep on doing good and loving and you will continue moving onward and upward! In all actuality they will probably love you again tomorrow, but if they don't remember it doesn't matter what they think of you! We have only one to please and it is God!
What is your reaction to criticism? To quit? To want to just stay in bed all day with your head under the covers never facing anyone? Eating chocolate chip cookies and drinking Dr. Pepper all day? Actually, that doesn't sound too bad! But the fact is you don't get anything accomplished that way. There is another saying, "It is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all!" I promise you that will be your biggest regret!
Get out there, my dear reader! The world needs your gift! You were created for a purpose, and you were created to produce! You can through God's power and with the Holy Spirit's help you can do any and everything He has called you to do!
Thank you for taking your precious time to read my post! I appreciate you, my dear reader! Have a blessed and productive day, all day! See you soon!!
No comments:
Post a Comment