Catch them doing something right.

“Now, I’m not being critical, but …”

May I let you in on a secret?

Did you see that little “but” in that first sentence? What it means is that you can ignore any words that came before it!

If anyone has to spell out that they are not being critical, it’s usually because they are being critical.

How about this one: “I’m not judgmental; I’m discerning.”

This one is a little more tricky.

Are we OBSERVING and EVALUATING whether something is right or wrong, truth or falsehood, good or bad?

Or are we MEASURING someone by a standard we hold for them (that we may not hold so stringently for ourselves)?

If we are honest, none of us wants to be on the receiving end of judgement/criticism.

But it is so easy to default to judgment when we are on the observing end.

One of the things that drives me most crazy is Christians who are whiners and critics.

One of the things that drives me most crazy about myself is that I can so easily whine about and criticize the whiners and critics!

The high road is usually much more difficult to travel (and it is often under construction). [Click here for a podcast I did on that topic]

These thoughts are inspired by my reading this morning from “My Utmost for His Highest.”

Here’s a sampling;

“Jesus’ instructions with regard to judging others is very simply put; He says, ‘Don’t.’”

“The average Christian is the most piercingly critical individual known. Criticism is one of the ordinary activities of people, but in the spiritual realm nothing is accomplished by it.”

“It is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when you are in a critical mood.”

“Criticism serves to make you harsh, vindictive, and cruel, and leaves you with a soothing and flattering idea that you are somehow superior to others … You must constantly beware of anything that causes you to think of yourself as a superior person.”

“Stop having a measuring stick for other people. There is always at least one more fact, which we know nothing about, in every person’s situation.”

One of my favorite bloggers, Karl Vaters, recently wrote that our criticisms do not make people want more of Jesus; they just make them want less of us.

What if we decided to truly cinch up our britches and take the high road, looking for ways to catch people doing something praiseworthy?

What if we were to focus on the strengths displayed by others and help them lean in to Jesus with those, rather than taking pot shots at their weaknesses?

What if we were to hold ourselves to higher standards than those to which we hold others?

Let’s help each other with that.

Question: What can you do today to shift your perspective toward catching others doing something right? And what will you do when you see it?

Be amazing today, my friend.