God has taught me some of the best lessons of my life through some of my most hateful critics.
I will never forget one of the ugliest emails I ever received.
It was four pages long, single-spaced, and filled with vitriolic, hateful criticisms.
When I read it, I was hurt and angry.
But after a couple of days of cooling off, I read it again.
It was painful to do that. And while the person’s criticisms of me distorted the truth with irrational hate, there was, in fact, some truth there about my failures and weaknesses.
I believe that God used this experience to challenge me to make some major changes in my life.
The truth is the truth — and the source is God’s Word.
The truth may be delivered by a hateful critic, a good friend, the Bible, or — even as the prophet Balaam experienced — from the mouth of a donkey.
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Yet if we are willing to listen and change, the Bible says we will be free: “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
When we are free, we are richly blessed.
Truth always makes us free — regardless of the source — because truth belongs to God.
The irony of this story is that my hateful critic really intended to hurt me — but she was actually instrumental in freeing me from some of my weaknesses that had been hindering God’s blessings in my life for many years.
God showered me with blessings in the very areas I corrected as a result of this individual’s harsh criticism.
It was painful — but I’ve never forgotten the lesson.
Truth always makes us free — regardless of the source — because truth belongs to God.
And He is the author of freedom.
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