Criticizing the efforts of another does not require a lot of intelligence. "Look at that mess...." "How dumb is that...." Skill and creativity bring solutions to problems and beauty to chaos. I wonder why criticism comes so easily to us? Everyone I know does it, some more than others, to be sure. At a picnic yesterday, I found myself engaged in an animated discussion about politics. Each of us has an opinion about taxes, the war, the candidates - don't we? Before long I realized that not many creative solutions were being offered up! Mostly we were just criticizing those who are charged with making decisions, but we were not offering solutions that even started to address all of the concerns involved.
Let's bring this discussion to where we live - our homes, our jobs, and our local church. Are you a creative participant or a critic on the sidelines?
You can criticize the way that your wife cares for your kids or you can join her in being an active parent.
You can join the gossip about your project manager, or you can build a team that gets the job done.
You can take on a ministry assignment at your church or you can just lament the failures of the pastor to adequately meet your needs.
In Exodus there a great lesson about this tucked into a story about Moses and his father-in-law. Fathers-in-law are notorious critics - except for my father-in-law - who always encourages me, really! Jethro (yes, that really is his name) went to see Moses and Zipporah, (yes, that is really her name!) his daughter, after the Israelite people had been delivered from Egyptian slavery. The emerging nation was still somewhat chaotic and Jethro noted the inefficient way in which Moses provided leadership for the people. Moses went out and sat to settle disputes. The lines of people who needed his decision stretched to the horizons! Jethro then made this observation. "What are you really accomplishing here? Why are you trying to do all this alone while everyone stands around you from morning till evening?" ... This is not good!" (Exodus 18:13-17, NLT)
It did not require brilliance to see the problem and to realize that if this continued, there would be no nation in a very short time. But Jethro went beyond just criticizing. Next he said, "Let me tell you how to do this so that God will be in this with you. Be there for the people before God, but let the matters of concern be presented to God. Your job is to teach them the rules and instructions, to show them how to live, what to do. And then you need to keep a sharp eye out for competent men—men who fear God, men of integrity, men who are incorruptible—and appoint them as leaders over groups organized by the thousand, by the hundred, by fifty, and by ten." (Exodus 18:19-21, The Message)
Jethro's sage advice was provided at just the right moment. He took a risk in offering the advice because it could have provoked Moses, who might have said, "And who, old man, do you think you are? Did God call you to lead Israel?" However, Moses was a man of humility who listened and learned!
Often our criticism is unwarranted, based in something less than full knowledge. Even the godly and mature fall prey to making superficial judgments! Remember Samuel's search for a king for Israel? When he went to Jesse's house in Bethlehem at God's direction, he immediately judged the oldest, tallest son- the one who projected leadership and self-confidence- as the man for the job. But the Lord said, "Samuel, don’t think Eliab is the one just because he’s tall and handsome. He isn’t the one I’ve chosen. People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts." (1 Samuel 16:7, CEV) When you're ready to take aim and fire off critical words, may the Lord speak to you, too. Hold those words until you have thought it through, prayed over it, and gained insight. Then, you can become part of the solution rather than just adding to the problem.
"The wise are known for their understanding,
and pleasant words are persuasive.
Discretion is a life-giving fountain to those who possess it,
but discipline is wasted on fools.
From a wise mind comes wise speech;
the words of the wise are persuasive.
Kind words are like honey—
sweet to the soul and healthy for the body." (Proverbs 16:21-24, NLT)
No comments:
Post a Comment