The Cross and Criticism
Scott Anderson e-mailed me the link to this gospel-centered article by Alfred J. Poirier. Here is an excerpt:
"In light of God's judgment and justification of the sinner in the cross of Christ, we can begin to discover how to deal with any and all criticism. By agreeing with God's criticism of me in Christ's cross, I can face any criticism man may lay against me. In other words, no one can criticize me more than the cross has. And the most devastating criticism turns out to be the finest mercy. If you thus know yourself as having been crucified with Christ, then you can respond to any criticism, even mistaken or hostile criticism, without bitterness, defensiveness, or blame shifting. Such responses typically exacerbate and intensify conflict, and lead to the rupture of relationships. You can learn to hear criticism as constructive and not condemnatory because God has justified you."
You can read the entire article here. It would be time well spent.
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Thanks, Mr. C. and should I say Mr. A? =) This article pinpoints an area I've struggled with for a long time--as did one article Mr. A sent me awhile ago about the fear of man (can't recall the title). I hate criticism (and battle a fear of man almost constantly). I've been reading Proverbs this summer to see how a wise man should initiate or respond to various circumstances of life. Again, I've been shown how the Gospel relates to every area of life--even critical comments! May God help me work on this area too.