How do you react to criticism?

Hello darlings! We are in May; I wish you a very blessed month.

Last Monday, we talked about the sinner woman who went before Jesus and gave everything she had in order to conquer a transformed life, without saying a word.

But through her attitude of faith and love towards the Lord Jesus, some things happened, Simon the owner of the house and his friends, who received the Lord Jesus, made some unpleasant comments, they criticised the woman’s attitudes and even dared to criticise Jesus, look at this:

“When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

But as Jesus has the power to know what it is in our thoughts, he told him a short story so, he might think and judge for himself and then showed him that he got it wrong and did not have the right to judge that woman, the intention makes all the difference.

Simon invited him with a bad intention, not to honour Him, to learn from Him or having the pleasure of having Him at his home, maybe he wanted to see why Jesus was so successful, not because he believe in Him; but that woman went before Jesus with a good and sincere intention, and because of that she honoured Him more than Simon.

“Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.” “Tell me, teacher,” he said.  “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.” “You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.  You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.  You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.  Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”  Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”  Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

Jesus doing good and still was criticised by those Pharisees, but that did not refrain Him from keep doing and blessing that woman, their criticism did not intimidate Him.

How about you? When you receive criticism, what are your reactions?

-       You get angry and then sink to the same level to defend yourself

-       You get upset and don’t do anything anymore

-       You get isolated and withdraw into yourself, with fear of being judged again

-       You take that critic to improve yourself and if you saw that it was malicious and  non-sense, you just ignore it and move on.

All of us are criticized at some point, some of them constructive, and others destructive, it happened to Jesus, but He always knew how to deal with it in a proper way.

And you, how do you deal with this kind of situation?