Less Criticism, More Kindness
Dear Thad's Family,
I hope your week is off to a good start! While we welcome the season of spring, we nonetheless keep moving along in the season of Lent. Our theme is Less is More and this week we focus on Less Criticism, More Kindness:
Of course, not all criticism is bad. Sometimes criticism can be an incredible gift to offer someone if done with kindness. Some of my most poignant, life-changing experiences have come through someone giving candid loving criticism, and then experiencing the grace to receive it. But here, we are talking about criticism in the negative sense.
Whenever I have negative criticism to give to someone else, there is usually some place of self-criticism in me that I need to offer self-kindness. One of my most reliable mantras is be kind to yourself.I say it often to myself and others. If you are critical with others, what's going on inside of you? If you were to be kind to yourself, how does that change the situation? There is something valid in you that needs to be heard and understood.
We are beloved and made in the image of God and how we view ourselves shapes how we look at others. This makes me grateful for being in a community where can we affirm in each other the belovedness that can sometimes be hard to see in ourselves. As I ask every Sunday, what are you thinking and feeling? E-mail vanessa@thads.orgwith your thoughts, stories, quotes, practices, encouragements and find this week's phone wallpaper below. Have a great week!
Love,
Jon