Prepare for Critiques

Bible verse: Proverbs 15:31-32 "Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding."

Insight: This passage can be a hard pill to swallow. It can be really difficult to take criticism because part of our human nature longs to be right and not admit to the mistakes we make. The reality is that as humans we will undoubtedly make mistakes. We are imperfect people living in a fallen world, and not only is this something we have to accept, but also something we will and have to learn from. Having to look at ourselves and our weaknesses takes a lot of maturity. We need to align ourselves with God's word. The more that we align ourselves with God's word, the more that we are able to recognize our downfalls, and instead of feeling ashamed we grow and learn from there. The more that we look at our mistakes as opportunities to grow, the more we grow as a person and live in light of God's direction for our lives. Let's strive to be people who admit to our mistakes and allow our downfalls to be opportunities in every aspect of our lives.

Work application: This verse is extremely applicable to life in the workplace because criticism and critiques are a prevalent and necessary part of any job. When someone gives you a critique, they do it to grow you. The way that we take in that information will either bring us to a place of self-pity or we will grow and learn from what others say. We have to be willing to learn from our own mistakes because we don't want to be stagnant in any part of our life especially not when it comes to our job performance. Jeff McHugh co-author of From Illusion to Reality speaks on our ability to learn from the failures that we have. Many people aren't willing to take risks because of the fear of failure or making mistakes, but Jeff expresses that as we make these mistakes we learn, build resilience, and become innovative people. We would never take on any of these characteristics if we did not (a) admit to the mistakes we've made and listen to critiques from others and (b) set out to be the best we can possibly be within the workplace. Let's set out to listen more to those around us and accept our downfalls as opportunities to grow.

Grateful: I am grateful I serve a God who is constantly growing me.

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Contributor: Jessica Carrera holds a B.A. in English with a concentration in writing and a minor in Biblical Studies from Biola University. She aspires to touch the lives of others through her words.