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You remember Oxymorons don’t you? Two words that, on their own are opposites are put together like: jumbo shrimp, same difference, pretty ugly, or even the Dodge Ram.
Sometimes we view constructive criticism the same way. How can something that is meant to deconstruct what you are doing actually be ‘constructive’? At least, many times that is the attitude we bring to the criticism.
But it’s a matter of the heart. Proverbs 15:31 says that “if you listen to constructive criticism you will be at home among the wise.” If I read that right, this means that the people who have been considered wise in the past have been ones who are willing to listen to the advice, positive or negative, of others and filter them as to how to make things better in their own lives.
Are you willing to do the same? Are you willing to listen, reflect, and if need be, change? Then you are on your way to being ‘among the wise’.
At least that’s how I see it.
Craig
I remember hearing that as a kid. Sitting in class and hearing the teacher say it over and over again. “Never play with matches… never play with matches” became the mantra of a room full of six year olds.
I hear the stories in the news about kids who choose not to listen to the advice that they were given. Somehow they think that they have it under control. They think that they will never get burned or worse yet, burn those around them.
Proverbs 6:27 says “Can a man scoop fire into his lap without his clothes being burned?” To me, the answer is pretty self-explanatory. But how many times do we see friends and family take on lifestyles that we all know will catch up to them sometime? Worse yet, how many friends and family know that WE are taking on lifestyles that we DON’T know will catch up to us sometime?
We need to take a good long look at the things that are in our lives that may ‘ignite’ and destroy everything around us if we keep on ‘playing with the matches’. From what I’ve seen from others’ misfortunes, the joy of the flame never matches the damage of the fire.
At least that’s how I see it.
Craig
I’ve done some pretty dumb things as a kid… tried to jump over a ditch with my bike forgetting that front wheel was not attached properly… got my tongue stuck to a metal pole in the winter (yes… I had to find out for myself). I think one of the dumbest things I ever did was decide to become a toll-booth on my street with a big long stick telling people to stop… and go. When my dad saw me doing it… I stopped… and I ‘go’ed!
But my dad hardly remembers that moment. He disciplined me and was upset… but he loved me more than he was mad about what I did. It was his love that I remember that day… even though I DO remember the discipline.
Psalm 25:6-7 says “Overlook my youthful sins, O Lord! Look at me instead through eyes of mercy and forgiveness, through eyes of everlasting love and kindness (NLT).” Some people think that their past prohibits God from forgiving them. Nothing could be further from the truth. His love is everlasting. His forgiveness is always available.
At least that’s how I see it.
Craig
It never ceases to amaze me that I can bring my car into the shop at eight in the morning worrying whether or not it will actually make it there and by the time I get a call a few hours later, it’s almost as good as new.
I don’t understand all of the components of a car. I could probably fool someone for a while but soon enough the other person will realize that my automotive knowledge is fairly limited. The more foreign the problem is to my understanding, the more amazed I am that there are people who can diagnose and fix the problem.
What about the human body? Scientists are daily scratching their heads trying to figure out how something SO complex could be ever imagined, planned, and created.
Thousands of years ago a man named David wrote to God “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous – and how well I know it. Psalm 139:14 (NLT)” It’s often not until we get sick before we recognize how incredibly intricate our bodies are and that the slightest variance can be fatal. May I suggest that we take time today, sick or well, and thank God that He put that much work into us? Isn’t it beautiful that He cares that much about the lives of you and me?
At least that’s how I see it.
Craig
You know the drill. Get ready for the big trip! Pack the bags. Stuff the car to the hilt. Make sure the iron is turned off and then hit the road. The buzz is in the air. Road Trip!
Then comes the drawl… You know it’s coming because all the road signs look the same and the scenery is starting to look like the Flintstones background… same tree… same house… same tree…
But then you start seeing things that tell you you’re almost there. The buzz is back in the air!
The Bible says that ‘God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He (God) has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end. (Ecclesiastes 3:11 NLT).’
Some days you may feel like you are stuck in the middle of the road trip called ‘Life’. You may be asking yourself, or God, “Are we there yet?”
Rest assured. If you are breathing, you’re still on your way and God has not finished the journey with you yet so sit back, enjoy the scenery, and let God bring you on His great adventure.
That’s how I see it.
Craig
