June 29, 2018

Critics Abound

“For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ But wisdom is proved right by all her children.”

– Luke 7:33-35

No matter what you do, there will always be someone to criticize you. No matter what you don’t do, there will always be someone to criticize you. It can destroy you if you let it.

Understand that the only One you need to please is God. He is your judge. He is your jury. He is the One who knows your heart.

I know. It’s easier to say that than it is to do it. Words hurt. It’s frustrating to face the lies of others. It’s upsetting to be slandered no matter what you do or don’t do. It’s easy to say walk away and trust God to handle it. There is a natural inclination to want to fight back. Don’t. God will handle it.

Jesus gets it. He really does. No matter what He did on this earth, someone criticized Him for it. We look at that, we read His words, and we can’t believe that anyone would be less than thrilled at His miracles. We can’t believe anyone would doubt His teachings. But they did. So do we.

Every time we walk a different path than the one we are called to, we deny Him. Every time we judge others, we deny Him. Every time we take His Word out of context and use it for our own purposes, we deny Him.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the church. I wonder sometimes how the pastors and staff handle it. Deep faith and God’s grace I suppose. And understanding that it really isn’t about them.

I have critics who claim I am way too liberal. And I have critics who claim I am way too conservative. I have been criticized for prayer time in Sunday school class (too long unless it involves one of the critics’ needs or concerns) and I have been criticized for not reordering the class to fit the wishes of people who rarely come.

That’s just a few things that come to mind. I could tell you about the critics who don’t like the music in either the contemporary or traditional services, who don’t like the way communion is done, who get upset with the volume or appropriate dress or any number of other things that really don’t matter.

Some people are going to complain about what’s not important so they don’t have to face what really is important. It’s just easier to focus on other things than to look inside and see the mess found there.

Those with wisdom are willing to look in the mirror and see the ways they need Jesus to fix their souls. They work to deny themselves and live a righteous life of faith, grace and mercy.

Others will continue their foolishness, pointing fingers and criticizing others. Trust them to God. You’ll never win a skirmish with someone who doesn’t see their own faults. Focus on being the best person you can be, the person God called you to be. And trust that God will handle all the rest.