Articles
Criticism, Anyone?
A wife was cooking up a batch of fried chicken for supper when suddenly, her husband came roaring into the kitchen.
“Be careful,” he yelled, “CAREFUL! You’re putting too much chicken in the pan. You’ll get burned with that hot grease! Stop. STOP! Turn that chicken over! TURN! TURN NOW! Careful. CAREFUL! I said, BE CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! NEVER! Put more chicken in the pan! You’re cooking TOO SLOW. Don’t forget to salt that chicken. You ALWAYS forget to use salt. Use the SALT. USE THE SALT! Why don’t you just LISTEN? I told you, you’re cooking TOO FAST! That’s TOO MUCH SALT! Do you want ME to fry that chicken?”!!!
His wife stared incredulously at him. “Have you finally lost your mind? How DARE you criticize me? I’ve been doing this since I was a girl. Don’t you think I know how to fry chicken?”
The husband calmly replied, “Sure I do, darlin’. I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m driving.”
Reproof is a word that most of us primarily hear or use in Bible study. Merriam-Webster defines “reproof” as: (noun)criticism or blame: a statement that criticizes or blames someone: And Collins English Thesaurus provides us with this helpful list of some of its synonyms: rebuke, criticism, condemnation, censure, reprimand, reproach, scolding, chiding, dressing-down (informal), admonition, tongue-lashing, upbraiding, sideswipe, castigation, reproval, reprehension, blame:
Criticism: Now there’s a word we can sink our teeth into. We know what it is, we know how to hand it out, and allmost many some a few one or two of us will (possibly) admit that (on the rarest of occasion) we’ve deservedly belonged on the receiving end of well-earned criticism. And when that happens, there’s really not much to do but take it with our head held up, do our best to change what we can change, correct what we can correct, and go on with our life. Believe it or don’t, there’s actually blessing of benefit to rightly accepting deserved criticism. “He whose ear listens to the life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. He who neglects discipline despises himself, But he who listens to reproof acquires understanding.” (Proverbs 15:31-32 NASB)
Not all criticism, though, is acceptable or deserved and certainly not helpful. At times, criticism can be born from something as simple as ignorance. It can spring to life through anger or find sustenance in envy. To be fair, it can also have its roots in someone’s belief they can and their desire to help. But with any aforementioned case (or combination thereof) brethren are occasionally going to lend you an (often unqualified) analysis, evaluation, or opinion when perhaps they should be lending their ear instead. Know this: If you’re actively involved in church work, you’ve painted a very large bulls-eye on yourself that those of the “I don’t know how I’d do it, but I wouldn’t do it like that” mentality may draw a bead on. Know this, also: The sooner you learn there’s really no good way to wrestle with undeserved, unearned, unjustified criticism, the better off you’re going to be. Ignore it. Turn your back on it and move straight ahead with your service to the Lord. That tends to muffle that breed of critic more quickly than arguing with them.
And, along the way, wouldn’t we ALL do well to remember to “Treat others the same way you want them to treat you.” (Luke 6:31 NASB)?
