So recently I realized that my spirit is bent towards criticism–I tend to look for faults and vices in others and dwell on them pointing them out to them and others. This critical spirit might make me feel a little better about myself in the short run, but my constant bitterness towards the shortcomings in ends up being unhealthy. I dwell in my own negative feelings, alienate others, and ultimately distance myself from God.
What would happen if I decided to focus on the grace of God working in others? Sure, nobody’s perfect, but that includes me too. I have so much evidence of God working in me. Can I choose to call attention to the things that we can thank God for? How would my heart transform towards others? I wonder if this would help to cultivate a spirit of humility and gratitude in my own heart.
Filed under: Devotional, My Personal Walk
Ha, I feel the same as you. I am hypercritical to a fault. Do you ever find that if you try to surpress your own criticisms, it begins to eat you up inside? I try not to criticize because I know my tendency, but then I get so frustrated I eventually just dump it on my wife. Then she gets annoyed. Hahah. Is that better than spewing the criticism on the person I’m criticizing?