Thoughts…

Have you ever been caught between a rock and a hard place?  You know you should do/say something, yet you stay silent?

What do you do when you know that even if you approach the situation with love, that you will be rejected?

How do we teach our children the proper way to respond when someone comes to you in love with constructive criticism?

I know when my husband first became a pastor, he was nervous about preaching in front of the entire church congregation.  He feared he would say everything wrong.  He was afraid he would not be able to get his point across.

By the grace of God, my sweet husband has always made his point clearly when he speaks from the pulpit.  Our church has been wonderful, and if there has been any kind of criticism, it has always been spoken in love and to be constructive.

My husband now thrives on constructive and encouraging comments from our sweet church family.

But how do you approach someone constructive criticism and not be rejected?

In today’s world, that is very hard thing to do.  If you say anything – even kindly and in a godly manner – most people are going to take offense.

Many Christians are happy in their sins and do not want to have to change.  They are content with having God’s forgiveness without the relationship or accountability that comes with being a child of God.

That being said, there are still Christians who appreciate the criticism, and will turn from their ways.  Even so, if you make the choice to stand up for your God, be prepared to take some heat.

God did not promise us an easy life on this earth, and in my opinion this life is getting harder and harder to live.  What He did promise us is an eternal life free from sin, hate, sickness, and evil… if we are truly saved.

Photo credit: Scrunchleface