We live in a time filled with criticism. Pick a subject and you will quickly have a debate. People will easily become quite critical of your thoughts and opinions. But what do you do when the criticism is aimed at you personally?
I have heard it said before, “There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” Well, for most of us this is not a viable option. So, what do we do?
Begin by focusing on our personal walk with Christ
In Daniel 1:8 the Bible says, “Daniel determined he would not defile himself with the king's food or with the wine he drank.”
Daniel and his friends were offered the privilege to eat from the king's table in exile. Daniel chose to be obedient to God and the dietary laws in the book of Leviticus. He desired to be obedient to his faith even though he now lived in Babylon.
The word “determined” literally means “he set his heart.”
It may seem odd to you to begin with yourself. My mom taught me as a child that you cannot control people’s actions. All you can do is to control your reaction. So, I have learned that the place to start is always with me.
Daniel set his heart on the things of God and determined to be obedient to him. How did that serve him? Daniel’s ministry lasted seventy years. When he was taken into exile, he was a teenager. Daniel’s example of integrity and faith is a wonderful model to us all as we live a life of faith before an unbelieving and critical world.
The Bible challenges us as the church to live a life of integrity and faith even in the face of pressure to compromise.
You might say that is hard and I am not sure I want to put the work in. Well, there is one other option I mentioned earlier: If you want to avoid criticism and push back you can choose to do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. If not, the challenge is coming. It is your choice. It is my choice.
