1. If it comes from a believer, view it as a kindness
Oil for your head – an act of love. Ask God to help you receive it and not refuse it. Or start openly crying, which is embarrassing. Be a man – be like David – “Let a righteous man strike me; it is a kindness.”
2. Make it easy for people to bring stuff to you.
It’s not easy to talk to someone about their sin or weakness. Thank them and assure them you’re glad they’d share with you. (And pray that you really would be glad!) Then you can hit the trapdoor button to drop them into the cellar.
3. Remember you’re a sinner.
Hate to break it to you, but you will actually blow it from time to time. Last I checked, none of us has been completely sanctified yet. Except for my sister, who I think may have sinned once in her entire lifetime. But the rest of us will sin. We’ll blow it. We don’t do everything perfectly. And even if I’m criticized unjustly for something, there’s plenty of other things I should be criticized and judged for but won’t be, for Jesus paid for all my sins and failures.
4. There’s almost always some truth in every criticism, even if it’s inaccurate or given poorly.
There may still be something valuable for you to learn. There’s some reason they are perceiving things this way. Though Professor Grinchwold did humiliate me, my 3-d fly was kind of dumb.
5. Don’t be wise in your own eyes.
Assume people see things you can’t. We all have blind spots. There could be something you’re missing.
Now if you need to give someone criticism today, try to find a tactful way to put it. Try to be gentle and kind. For example, if you’re critiquing a blog post like this one, you might say, “Got a match?”
