Opinion
Be positive – encourage someone today!
Catherine Ayre reminds us how destructive criticism can be, and urges us to encourage someone today instead.
As I was looking at the life of Joshua, Moses’ ‘right-hand man’ and then God’s chosen leader in his own right, it occurred to me that nowhere in the scriptures does it mention he joined in with others in criticising or speaking against Moses or God himself. Could this be one of the keys to his success?
If Joshua could be trusted in this area of his life, even with such a backdrop of grumbling people, then maybe that’s why he stood out from the rest and could be trusted by God with leading others.
Take what James says regarding the tongue: “A tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God.” (James 3:5-9)
Criticism of others is insidious. It may appear harmless, like that tiny spark, but once the words are out in the open, the enemy has a field day. The easy option is to join in with the criticism, to agree or even just be in listening mode. However, the way forward is to run a mile from it—to not entertain any tiny morsel of it. Criticism’s second cousin is gossip and Proverbs warns us clearly what happens when that is given a look-in. “The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to the inmost parts.” (Proverbs 18:8)
When we look at the other end of the spectrum, we see Joshua, a man who was expert at encouraging and building up the people. ‘“Don’t ever be afraid or discouraged,” Joshua told his men. “Be strong and courageous…”’ (Joshua 10:25) Here, he echoes the words God spoke to him at the beginning of his leadership ventures: ‘“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”’ (Joshua 1:9).
Have you received encouragement from God lately? Go speak that same encouragement to someone you are leading or even your leader. Often we think the leader doesn’t need encouraging as they are strong. They may be strong, but they need a dose of encouragement to keep going and remain in that position of strength. Go on, do it today!
Image by Ria Sopala from Pixabay
Catherine Ayre, who lives in Norwich, is the author of the poetry book "Heart to Heart". She has a passion to see people connect with God through writing, music and radio.
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