Am I open to Criticism?

The Challenge of Criticism

No one likes being criticized. Least of all in front of others. Yet we can benefit from criticism. That happens if we handle it correctly.

Martha was criticized. It was by the Lord Jesus Himself. He showed her that the one good part is necessary. It is listening to His word. It is not being worried and upset about many things. The Lord Himself deemed it necessary to correct Martha. So there is no need to ask whether the criticism was justified. Or whether it happened in the right way. It certainly was. What interests us is another question. How did Martha deal with this criticism?

Wrong Ways to Respond

In principle, there are three ways to deal with criticism:

• One option is to dismiss it. Then we continue as before. Martha could have said this. No one here can tell me anything, since I am the hostess. My sister Mary is certainly wrong. She leaves me alone with all the work. We sometimes react like that. We reject criticism as unjustified. Then we continue as before.
• Another option is to react defiantly. Or we allow ourselves to be discouraged. Martha could have said this. If my word does not count, I will do nothing anymore. And if what I do is not properly recognized, I will stop. This reaction is familiar to us. We feel the criticism is unjustified. We feel diminished in our service. In response, we throw in the towel. Then we give up.
• But we can learn from Martha. We can learn how to respond rightly to criticism. In John 12:2 we read simply that she served. She no longer looked at what Lazarus and Mary were doing. She simply did what had already been her responsibility. She served. This time, she did so with appropriate commitment. She was not overworked. That shows she handled the Lord’s rebuke well. Perhaps she needed some time. She needed time to process the Lord’s counsel. But she did not dismiss it as unjustified. And she did not let it discourage her. No, she took the criticism to heart. Then she changed her attitude accordingly. In this way, she could benefit from it. She continued her service with the right attitude.

How do we respond to criticism? Are we still open to criticism? If we put ourselves in Martha’s situation, we will think differently. We will see the Lord before us. We will see Him as the One who wants to help us. Then we will be more willing to accept guidance.