We sometimes have our hearts set on the wrong thing, and God lovingly brings people into our lives to help us stay the course. We are all prone to an incredible amount of selfishness and self-centeredness. The reason why we call it “blind spots” is because they’re blind. We literally cannot see them. We need the help of other godly, trusted Christian friends to point them out.

Criticism is an unavoidable part of being a leader. As it’s been said by others, the more influence you obtain, the more criticism you must endure. It can sting to be criticized but, paradoxically, it’s not always a bad thing. In fact, criticism is a blessing in many ways. How? I can think of at least five ways in which criticism is a blessing. The first is obvious. Criticism is a sign that people are paying attention to you. Attention (getting people to notice you) and influence (getting people to take action) are not identical, but they are similar, and they’re what every blogger or podcaster or preacher or author is looking for, especially influence.

There are thousands of Christian blogs, but how many get read? Podcasts are blowing up, but how many will succeed? If you are a Christian content producer of some sort, and someone criticizes you, you should feel seen, blessed. Some work isn’t good enough to warrant critique. Criticism is a sign that you’re making a difference.

Criticism also gives you an opportunity to pray for another person. This is the second way in which criticism is a blessing. Whenever I get criticized, especially after preaching a sermon, I try to remember to pray for the critic (although I don’t always remember to do this), right then and there on the spot.

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