Leadership Thought: I Hate to Be Critical but...

Dear Friends,

I hate to be critical but...Don't you ever wonder how odd it is for a person to do something he or she hates so much. 

As leaders, whether in the home, church, school, or the world, there are going to be plenty of times when we have to deal with criticism. Just ask any politician who probably deals with more criticism than any of us could ever imagine. 

There is a fabled story about the famous 19th century preacher Philip Brooks. One day Brooks received a letter in the mail. Opening it, he found a clean sheet of paper with only one word written on it: "Fool." 

The next Sunday, Brooks carried the letter into his pulpit in Boston. Holding it up, he announced, "I have received many letters from people who wrote the letter but forgot to sign their name. However, this is the first time I received a letter from someone who signed his name and forgot to write his letter." Now, that is one way of dealing with criticism, but I don't recommend it, unless you are very secure in your position, or you are already looking for a new job. 

When I think of dealing with criticism, I'm reminded of the words of Jesus who said, "Blessed are you when men revile you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on  account of me. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." (Matthew 5:10-12)

One of the signs that a person is living a high quality of life is the criticism he receives. The more dedicated one is, the more intense the criticism will be. Remember, monuments are never erected for critics. Like the poor, critics will always be with us, so we had best learn how to deal with them.

Television journalist David Brinkley once remarked that "a successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks that have been thrown at him." I like that. Build on the criticism. Use the bricks of criticism to make you a better person, not a bitter person. If there is some truth in the criticism, take that bit of truth, but throw the rest away, and don't dwell on it, for it will eat at you and will eventually destroy your soul.

Abraham Lincoln might have broken under the strain of the Civil War if he hadn't learned the folly of trying to answer all the condemnations hurled at him. His description of how he handled his critics has become a literary gem. General Douglas Macarthur had a copy of it hanging above his headquarters desk, and Winston Churchill had a framed copy of it on the wall of his study. It reads, "If I were to try to read, much less to answer all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how- the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing so until the end. If the end brings me out alright, then what is said against me won't matter. If the end brings me out wrong, then ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference." 
Sometimes it is just best to remain silent when criticized. Jesus remained silent in the face of the accusations made against him by the chief priest and other Jewish leaders who were demanding answers to their charges (Matthew 27:12 -14). There are times when the wisest thing we can do is to remain silent in the face of criticism and false accusations. Just keep your mouth closed and listen. Don't speak or try to be defensive. Don't point the finger of blame in some other direction, just remain quiet in the face of the one who criticizes you, and in so doing you become that bright and shining star that this dark world so desperately needs to see.

Yes, I know all of what I have said is much easier said than done, but keep in mind that you have a force and power within you that enables you to say, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."  Philippians 4:13). Give it to Him in prayer and let him deal with it. He is much better equipped to fight those kinds of battles than you are."

Yours in faith and friendship,

Tom

P.S. It was Henry Ironside, a well-known preacher of the last century, who said when facing criticism, "if what they are saying about you is true, mend your ways. If it isn't true, forget it and go on and serve the Lord."