Is Fear of Criticism Killing Your Creativity?
Are you nervous or afraid about putting your creativity into the world for fear it will be criticized, judged, or ridiculed? Maybe you’re afraid people will misunderstand or twist what you say? Maybe you’re concerned people will say mean things about you or your creations? Fear of criticism is a very real concern in today’s world where picking other people apart is the norm.
Encouragement from the Father
Here’s a word of encouragement from the Father if this is one of your concerns. It’s found in 1 Samuel. 16:7 where the Lord is talking to Samuel about a young man that Samuel thinks would make a good king. The young man is tall and strapping, but God doesn’t want this young man as king. He wants David, the youngest son of Jesse.
“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”
1 Samuel 16:7
God does not look for perfection in outward appearances. He’s looking at the heart. What are our motivations? What are our intentions? What do we value? Can He work with us?
The Navajos always wove imperfections into their rugs. They looked around in nature and saw the imperfections in the beauty. And they embraced them.
If God cared about outward perfection, every leaf would be perfect. No rose would be missing a petal, no butterfly would have a torn wing, no baby would be born with impairments.
Look for the Good
Look for the good in the things that you create, embrace the imperfections, and look for the beauty that is in them, and the growth that is possible. And when you look at something someone else has created, notice the time, devotion, growth, creativity, uniqueness, and the effort they expended. Praise the good and release the need for judgment and criticism. Avoid looking for every flaw in something that someone else has created. If we want encouragement for our own creations and endeavors, let’s be encouraging to others.
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