Silencing the Critics
Several years ago I was excited to attend a Christian Conference in Dallas. This wasn’t just any ol’ conference. This was one with teachings by some of the most influential voices in the faith, including Matt Chandler, Ben Stewart and my personal favorite, Jen Wilkin.
If you don’t know who any of these folks are, don’t worry. They aren’t important to the story, except to say that they are all amazing speakers, writers and thinkers. I admire them, particularly Jen Wilkin, who was the only female presenter at this particular conference. With this desire to write and speak bubbling on my heart, I set on the edge of my seat the entire hour she spoke. I took copious notes from her teaching that day and still read through them and am in awe of the gifting that God has given her.
But you want to know what I remember most about Jen’s talk and that conference? After she finished, the two women in front of me started to critique Jen’s content and delivery. They quietly and in their most polite “I’m-at-a-Christian-conference-voice” spoke volumes to me about the impossible task of pleasing people. What I heard them say is that if Jen Wilkin doesn’t make audiences happy, then how will I? If best-selling author Jen Wilkin gets criticized, what do I think is going to happen to me?
So I packed up my dream of Robin May Ministries and traveled back to Missouri. I left that dream sit in that suitcase for a long, long, time - years, in fact! I allowed the words of two complete strangers, who weren’t even talking to me, reinforce what the enemy wants me to believe; that I am not enough, that I’ll never be enough and that I am silly to think that God is calling me to writing and speaking.
Looking back, I am confident that this whole incidence had way more to do with me than it did the two fussy women or Jen Wilkin. God was surely preparing me for RMM, but I wasn’t ready. I realize now, that at that point in my life, I was way more concerned with the praise of others than I was with the pleasing of my heavenly Father. Since this time, God has helped me to see that my job is to simply be faithful to His calling and not worry with making everyone happy. I will not be everything to everyone, every time. Only He can do that!
Finally, this story reminds me how often I am one of the two fussy ladies in this narrative - and it makes me sad. I am convicted about how often I don’t give compliments and how many times I am critical about someone else - if only in my head. I am reminded how those words spoken that day mattered and how my words matter, even when I don’t think anyone is listening.
Join me in a commitment to bless someone this week with our words. Help those around us see something beautiful in themselves that God is revealing to you, as He makes us all new. I’d love to hear your stories so I hope you will post them here.