Pride and Humility

As you reflect on your best memories of the past year, the criticisms you received no doubt rocket to the top of the highlights list! They are precious as love letters. Not! It is easier to swallow a pill made for horses than criticism.

When someone criticizes us, our hackles rise, and our first reaction is to load the big guns on top of our defensive wall and return fire. We automatically assume the criticism is unfair and unwarranted. It hurts. The pain lasts longer than a bee sting.

We can easily locate where a bee stings us. We can’t do that with criticism because our pride is wounded. I know it hurts, but may I suggest that instant retaliation is never a wise response to criticism. Never is a very long time.

I have coached track and field throwing events at a local high school for the last 27 years. I am an assistant coach, but a former head coach called me the face of track and field at the school because many head and assistant coaches have come and gone while I have remained.

The last couple of years, at the end of the season, the head coach filled out an evaluation of my coaching. I received good marks in every area but one last season. It concerned my use (or perceived nonuse) of coaching drills.

I have reasons why I coach as I do, but this isn’t the place to defend myself. The coach sees this area of drill incorporation as an area for improvement. He expects me to change what I have done for the last 26 seasons. Are you surprised that the suggestion irritated me, and that I remember that more than I do the good marks in all other areas?

I offer these constructive criticism examples and free humility tests! Washing His disciples’ feet was one of Jesus’ humility tests, and He passed it with a perfect score. I had a failing grade on mine.

Fortunately, after the season, I attended a mandatory first aid class for coaches. I learned how to apply a tourniquet above my hemorrhaging pride! Not really, but injured pride is the problem. The pride and humility challenges are constant.

We tend to have an overblown, unrealistically high estimation of ourselves and are blind to our deficiencies. Some criticism is unwarranted and just plain wrong. We only know when we listen to the critic and thoughtfully weigh the criticism.

We have blind spots and faults we don’t recognize. To be better people, workers, and Christians, we must be open to those who tell us hard-to-hear truths about ourselves.

The Apostle Paul criticized the Galatian Christians for turning away from the simple gospel of being right with God by His undeserved favor through faith in Jesus. He asked, “Have I now become your enemy because I am telling you the truth?” (Galatians 4:16 NLT). Critics can morph into perceived enemies in a nanosecond when our pride is bleeding.

We must consider and thoughtfully weigh the criticism we receive. Some of it is the truth from people trying to help us. Do you know any good drills for track and field throwers? See additional free spiritual growth resources for Christians.  #freediscipleshipresources #freeevangelismresources #freechristianleadershipresources 

See free spiritual growth resources for Christians at https://www.christiangrowthresources.com.

God has empowered me to write “His Power for Your Weakness—260 Steps Toward Spiritual Strength.” It’s a free, evangelistic, devotional, and discipleship eBook. Pastors have used it in Malawi, Mozambique, and Zambia to lead more than 4,151 people to Christ and teach the basics of Christianity to 11,178 people. I invite you to check it out.

https://www.christiangrowthresources.com/his-power-for-your-weakness

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