I Get Sick Criticism

Worship music too loud for one person and too soft for the next, in the very same service — that's the kind of no-win criticism this message names as it opens week four of Confessions of a Pastor: I get sick of the criticism.

Preaching from Mary anointing Jesus in John 12 and Judas's criticism of her extravagant gift, the message works through how to handle critics without losing yourself to them. It offers five honest markers: accept that criticism is inevitable no matter how good your motives, look for what's actually driving a critic before you react, recognize that not every criticism deserves a response, answer without attacking when you do respond, and keep the mission in view the way Nehemiah did while rebuilding Jerusalem's walls.

It's candid that being kind to a critic doesn't guarantee they'll change — sometimes they won't, and that isn't the point. This is for anyone in a role where they'll never please everyone, who needs help not letting criticism steer their life off course.