Criticism
It’s amazing how easy it is to tear something down as opposed to building something. Recently, my father-in-law and I broke down a large, wooden swing set in about 30 minutes. When my dad, my father-in-law and I originally put it together, it took the better part of 6 hours. It came down a lot easier than it went up.
In Romans 15:1-2, Paul says, “We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Christians are to be in the business of building one another up. It’s not a simple process; moreover, it takes a considerable amount of time and effort. But it’s essential to who we are and is a part of our born anew by Jesus’ blood genetic make-up.
Criticism, though, comes much easier to us. It’s not introspective; therefore, it allows us to play judge and jury without compunction. Criticism is destructive and with ease it can bring a person down like a stone from the sling of a Israelite shepherd boy.
Inevitably, today or tomorrow or the next day, you are going be in a position to either build a person up who needs it or tear a person down who doesn’t need it. Please choose the former and not the latter! It’s what God would have you to do.
douglasryoung.net
Amen to that… The bible is full of verses that say “build one another up…”, and I have still not found one that says anything about, “tear one another down…”
Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday.
Great way to spread God’s word! Great topics–sound scripture! I like this alot!!!
and yet… sometimes we must tear down in order to build up!
“Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Though I did regret it–I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while– yet now I am happy, not because you were made sorry, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you became sorrowful as God intended and so were not harmed in any way by us. Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” – 2Cor. 7:8-10 (NIV)
To me, what Paul was doing could hardly be considered the “criticism” we are accustomed to using and that I was writing about. Paul is the one who warns of the effects of “biting and devouring one another” (Galatians 5:15).
Doug -
Good point – the message is very true. However, so many of us (when we are critical of one another) do so with the idea or desire to build-up like Paul to the Corinthians. We might be successfull and we might fail miserably. However, the criticism is genuine and honest and out of love. Yet it fails to be delivered properly or the recipient takes it as an attempt to tear down rather than build up. There must be some responsability of the recipient of criticisim to see through the delivery (if delivery was poor or without tact – I realize this isn’t always easy) and do some sort of self-analysis to see if any truth lies in that criticism. Some of us don’t take criticism well (I know I don’t) and we percive all criticism as an attack or out of spite rather than criticism designed to build-up.
Mat…I don’t disagree with you in any way. I don’t doubt that sometimes things are both offered and received in the wrong way either. To me, the “whos” and “hows” of the kind of criticism you’re talking about are both important. For instance, I am going to take what you offer, because of who you are and what I think of you, in a different way than how I would perceive what is offered by a self-professed brotherhood watchdog, who scours blogs and websites looking for dirt. I trust that you have my best interest in mind, but such is not the case for others. There is too much of the latter that goes on in my estimation. Thank you for offering your thoughts brother!
Kevin…Is that you?
It is. Not the “self-professed brotherhood watchdog”, just the Keblo. Good stuff by the way. I felt a need to respond more because of Trey’s comments than yours.