Encouragement Waters the Soul

     Criticizing other people almost never helps them overcome things, but emboldens the sin nature to continue in it's sin. I am having to learn this the hard way; by personal experience.
      In the past, I  had a bad habit of being critical of others, mostly due to my own insecurities. With a desire to feel accepted and valued, I resorted to this destructive behavior.  As I've grown in the belief of how God sees me, as being accepted and valued, the need to criticize has decreased. I am getting stronger because of His love, and am being set free.
     I had to experience someone else's disgust of me to realize the negative power and potentially debilitating effect criticism can have on my progressive growth in Christ. Because I am not fully free of my insecurities, their verbal pointing out of my "backsliding" in the area of criticizing, presented me with a decision to let their criticism affect me negatively, or decide to disregard it and "march on to Zion."
Had God not worked in me His acceptance and value to the degree that He has, I would have been powerless to choose to not let the criticism have it's way in me. And so, I learned something about the negative power of criticism, and the effect it can have on others, in this personal sowing and reaping process.
     On the flip side, encouragement and acceptance of others, results in the increased power for them to embrace God's loving acceptance and value, and move forward in Him.
     And so I pray: Lord, help me be aware of insecurities in all of us, and to be a person who sees and expresses the positive to others, watering Your progress in them,  as you conform them to Your image. Help me work with You in this, and not against You. Forgive me for criticizing others, and tearing them down in this way. Deliver me from this destructive habit, and help me build others up. Thank you for Your mercy towards me; "while I was yet a sinner, you died for me," and offered me your blessed forgiveness. Amen.