A Critical Eye for Encouragement - A Peace Month Thought
Grandma used to say, “If you can’t say something good about somebody or something, don’t say anything at all.” How many times have you heard that saying? Yet, why do we find it so hard to live up to that old saying, especially in the church?
Too often, I find myself and others having a “critical spirit” about the church or more appropriately the people within the building on Sunday morning. It seems everyone gets a shot taken at them – the usher who encouraged us to sit in a new section, the person who couldn’t get the right words up on the screen for verse four of the song, the preacher who “stopped preachin’ and went to meddlin’,” or the person who wouldn’t excuse their crying child from the sanctuary. It seems we have a critical eye on every aspect of what we label “church”.
And it doesn’t stop there. Our young children with “big ears” and innocent hearts repeat the words their parents share on the ride home from the worship service. “I heard Dad tell Mom that there was a big shot in the pulpit today, the choir murdered the anthem, and the music team drowned out our singing.” You and I may laugh at this because it may be true, but many times we know that the words used are even more destructive and biting than the example given.
Instead of a climate of peace necessary for the production of honesty, virtue and uprightness, we worship our God in an atmosphere that is anything but peaceful. It is as if we sit in the congregation judging a performance – much like Randy Jackson, Steve Tyler, or Jennifer Lopez with their latest victim on American Idol. The problem with our critical spirit is that most of the time we don’t even see the seriousness of the critical spirit until it has taken a toll on our spiritual lives and robbed us, and those around us, of our peace. We begin to realize that something is completely out of whack in our lives, but we can’t always put a finger on what it is.
Over the years, I have found that different things lead to having a critical spirit. It may be caused by external things around us or it may come from internal thoughts, beliefs or motives. Many times setting our heart on having our own way causes us to drift away from God. In turn we develop an obsessive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which seeks to tear others down — not the same thing as what is sometimes called “constructive criticism.” The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which is expressed in love to “build up,” not to tear down — it is always expressed face-to-face, never behind one’s back.
Taking a moment to evaluate my own thoughts and views led me to realize that my critical spirit usually originates out of my own selfishness. Now, I have found that it is not so important to analyze the cause as much as it is to come up with a solution. Ironically, that takes me back full-circle to the reason I should be going to church in the first place.
The Bible says that the reason that we are to come together as a church is, not to criticize, but to “exhort” (encourage) one another (Hebrews 10:25). “Cursing the darkness” won’t change anything, but you and I must light a candle and “expose the light” of God’s Word. By sharing the truth of His Word, and encouraging people to live in its truth, we can all be changed.
Love and encouragement can and must become the “motivational force.”
If we ever hope to bring improvement in others and in our churches, we need to become people of encouragement. This is the only attitude that will change people, and our actions and words must be devoted to encouraging the spiritual progress of our brothers and sisters.
As the church of God, do you and I build people up or tear people down? Next time we are ready to criticize someone, let’s remember God’s law of love and say something good instead. Remember Grandma’s Motto “If you can’t say something good about someone or something, don’t say anything at all.”
Too often, I find myself and others having a “critical spirit” about the church or more appropriately the people within the building on Sunday morning. It seems everyone gets a shot taken at them – the usher who encouraged us to sit in a new section, the person who couldn’t get the right words up on the screen for verse four of the song, the preacher who “stopped preachin’ and went to meddlin’,” or the person who wouldn’t excuse their crying child from the sanctuary. It seems we have a critical eye on every aspect of what we label “church”.And it doesn’t stop there. Our young children with “big ears” and innocent hearts repeat the words their parents share on the ride home from the worship service. “I heard Dad tell Mom that there was a big shot in the pulpit today, the choir murdered the anthem, and the music team drowned out our singing.” You and I may laugh at this because it may be true, but many times we know that the words used are even more destructive and biting than the example given.
Instead of a climate of peace necessary for the production of honesty, virtue and uprightness, we worship our God in an atmosphere that is anything but peaceful. It is as if we sit in the congregation judging a performance – much like Randy Jackson, Steve Tyler, or Jennifer Lopez with their latest victim on American Idol. The problem with our critical spirit is that most of the time we don’t even see the seriousness of the critical spirit until it has taken a toll on our spiritual lives and robbed us, and those around us, of our peace. We begin to realize that something is completely out of whack in our lives, but we can’t always put a finger on what it is.
Over the years, I have found that different things lead to having a critical spirit. It may be caused by external things around us or it may come from internal thoughts, beliefs or motives. Many times setting our heart on having our own way causes us to drift away from God. In turn we develop an obsessive attitude of criticism and fault-finding, which seeks to tear others down — not the same thing as what is sometimes called “constructive criticism.” The only criticism that is ever constructive is that which is expressed in love to “build up,” not to tear down — it is always expressed face-to-face, never behind one’s back.
Taking a moment to evaluate my own thoughts and views led me to realize that my critical spirit usually originates out of my own selfishness. Now, I have found that it is not so important to analyze the cause as much as it is to come up with a solution. Ironically, that takes me back full-circle to the reason I should be going to church in the first place.
The Bible says that the reason that we are to come together as a church is, not to criticize, but to “exhort” (encourage) one another (Hebrews 10:25). “Cursing the darkness” won’t change anything, but you and I must light a candle and “expose the light” of God’s Word. By sharing the truth of His Word, and encouraging people to live in its truth, we can all be changed.
Love and encouragement can and must become the “motivational force.”
If we ever hope to bring improvement in others and in our churches, we need to become people of encouragement. This is the only attitude that will change people, and our actions and words must be devoted to encouraging the spiritual progress of our brothers and sisters.
As the church of God, do you and I build people up or tear people down? Next time we are ready to criticize someone, let’s remember God’s law of love and say something good instead. Remember Grandma’s Motto “If you can’t say something good about someone or something, don’t say anything at all.”
Comments
Post a Comment