Scenario: You walk into a room, in what you think is an incredible outfit or an awesome pair of shoes, and all of the sudden you hear someone say, “What in the world are you wearing?!?” You can feel the blood rush to your face in embarrassment. It’s the really cute guy that you have been watching out of the corner of your eye for the last three weeks! How MORTIFYING!!! All of the sudden, you get so angry that you can barely see straight! You lash out with a typical defensive remark, and promptly go and tell your girlfriends that he is the biggest loser!!! (and, of course, get their opinion about your obviously FABULOUS outfit!!)
Ok, so perhaps this is a little over-dramatic, but we’ve all had times when we have been judged or criticized over something. Plain and simple—it hurts. We, as women, like to be told that we are the most beautiful, talented, and amazingly perfect beings ever created. It’s inevitable that one day (or many days) you will wake up and just need someone to say those magic words, “You look so cute today!!!”
So, by now you’re probably thinking that I am going to preach about not judging others, or always having something nice to say, etc. Sorry, not today. I wanted to leave you a little thought on being willing to be criticized. CRAZY….yes, I know.
Last week, in one of my online classes, we were asked to submit an assignment and allow the other students in the class to critique it and give suggestions. Now, I turned in what I thought to be a pretty decent piece of work. However, the very first person that commented on my work found some VERY obvious problems and had several suggestions on how to improve it. I must admit…it made me mad!! I sat there staring at that comment and thought, “What a mean thing to say about me! I wonder what HER assignment looks like?? I bet it’s worse than mine!”
After letting me have a pity party for approximately 37 seconds, the Lord “smacked” me! (You know what I mean….those gentle thoughts that strike conviction so hard you want to hit your knees and repent!) How could I get angry when the girl was simply doing what was required of her? It was our assignment to critique one another! I know that I’m not perfect, but I don’t exactly like hearing it! I have a really bad habit of not wanting to acknowledge anything bad about myself, which is totally natural. But is it totally right? No.
My whole point is that we, as Christian young ladies, must be willing to listen and learn. Correction and punishment are never easy, no matter how old you are, but they are a necessary part of life. I’m not saying that anyone has the right to pass judgment. (Don’t misquote me next time you feel the need to criticize someone. LOL!!) I think our best option would be to find a Godly lady, someone that we trust or admire, and ask her to be watchful over our lives. And ask her to feel free to approach you if she sees anything ungodly or inappropriate in your life. It is important to pray about this decision and make sure that you can completely trust the person that you ask to do this. (Your mother may be a good choice, but they usually give their opinion without us having to ask for it!! *wink*)
WARNING: It takes guts to do this! It will probably hurt your pride and sting a little, but it’s a necessary part of our lives. We must strive to be the holy, young women that God has called us to be, even when it hurts…
Lots of love,
Natalie
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