In this psalm, David prays for help when facing temptation and in this particular verse, he asks God to give him wisdom in accepting criticism.
I don't think anyone really enjoys being criticized for anything they do. I always tell my students that there's a difference between constructive criticism and judgment. I need to remember that when someone is trying to offer me a way to improve something about myself or my work with constructive criticism. I can't take it personally; they're just trying to help me.
[from my study Bible] In this verse, David suggests how to accept criticism: (1) don't refuse it, (2) consider it a kindness, and (3) keep quiet (don't fight back). Putting these suggestions into practice will help you control how you react to criticism, making it productive rather than destructive, no matter how it was originally intended.
It's easy to want to defend (fight back) your actions or your work and not listen to what others have to say, but in doing so, you're not going to grow spiritually, emotionally, or in your work. More importantly, if you blow someone off, the next time they have an insight that you could really benefit from, they might just keep it to themselves.
My Prayer
Father, help me to accept criticism with an open mind and a thankful heart. Help me to not be so quick to fight back, but rather to really listen to what someone's trying to tell me and think on their words before responding.
No comments:
Post a Comment