Everyone receives criticism at a larger dosage than we'd like. It's just the way society works. Even Jesus himself faced criticism as He walked on earth because of the change and revolution He brought to the communities He influenced. As Christians, God calls us to impact our respective communities as well, and this calls for us to be ready to receive criticism.
Charles Spurgeon once said, "Get a friend to tell you your faults, or better still, welcome any enemy who will watch you keenly and sting you savagely. What a blessing such an irritating critic will be to a wise man." We can often react to criticism in various ways; either we can be wounded by it or improved by it, but criticism will always hurt at some level. The question is what we do with that hurt. Here are three ways Christians can respond to criticism.
Expect criticism
1 John 3:13 tells us, "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you" (ESV). When Christians take a stand and stand out, everything about us is magnified, even our weaknesses. It's almost always expected that anyone will receive criticism. The apostle John tells us to not be surprised, meaning we must always anticipate criticism when we do what we do.
Treat all criticism as opportunity
Every criticism we receive—well-meaning ones as well as malicious ones—will always contain a little something we can learn from. Criticisms are actually vital in leadership development and character building because it is in the heat of criticism that our hearts are most tested.
Now, not all criticism will be helpful, but we must be open to each one and ready to ask ourselves, "Is there some truth to this criticism and can I use it to reflect upon myself and improve some area in me?" When we are quick to dismiss all criticism, we lose an opportunity to make use of the bitter pill that sometimes is necessary to swallow to become better.
Weigh criticism to your mission in life
Again, not all criticism is good. In an age where social media has given us an opportunity to express without repercussion, there are those who take the platform for granted. Proverbs 12:16 tells us, "The vexation of a fool is known at once, but the prudent ignores an insult" (ESV).
We must be wise and mature to differentiate constructive criticism from malicious attack, sifting out the bone from the flesh to make sure we don't swallow the wrong thing. And while there is no need to retaliate when insulted, know that an insult only has power once received.
