Critic or Creator? by Phil

Have you seen videos of skyscraper demolitions? It's fascinating to watch how with some carefully placed explosives, a towering building will collapse straight down into a cloud of dust. My first thought is admiration for the demolition experts who knew exactly where to place the explosives to bring the building down without damaging the surrounding buildings and landscape. Then I marvel at how something that took hundreds of workers thousands of hours to construct can be brought down in less than a minute.

That reminds me of a statement I once heard - It is far easier to be a critic than a creator. As a life-long creator of things both musical and wooden, I can certainly affirm that comment. What might start as a spark of inspiration may take years of painstaking work to bring to completion. Then with one critical comment, the value of all that labor can be negated in an instant. And just like a huge pile of rubble left where the building once stood, the creator of the criticized object may suffer devastating collateral damage to their self-image and self-worth.

If being critical is so harmful, why are we often quick to blurt out such hurtful comments? The Bible addresses this issue - "The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell." - James 3:6 OUCH! It sounds like the natural critic in us all is not fueled from above. While a discerning spirit concerning truths found in the Bible can be useful and even compassionate in keeping ourselves and our brothers and sisters from the clutches of temptation and sin, when our opinions join the conversation, watch out! When comments such as "I don't like it when..." and "I think we ought to..." enter the conversation at church (or anywhere for that matter), the red flags better come up. Proverbs 12:18 states, "There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing." Which one are you?

Here's my challenge to all of us. Instead of complaining about something we don't like, let's roll up our sleeves and get to work on making the situation better. That may involve openly listening to the reason behind the way things are currently being done. It may involve suggestions for possible improvements, but don't stop there - volunteer to help bring about the positive change!

I like the way the Names of God Bible translates Ephesians 4:29: "Don’t say anything that would hurt another person. Instead, speak only what is good so that you can give help wherever it is needed. That way, what you say will help those who hear you."

The world (and the church) doesn't need another critic. We need creators who will make our load a little lighter, our journey a bit more joyful, and keep our focus on our Heavenly Father. Don't settle for the easy path of the critic, follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the original Creator!
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Live His Love,
Phil and Pam

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