Criticizing Love by Anon.

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Sep 26, 1911

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 38, No. 38.

Criticizing Love

By Anon.

ABOUT once in a thousand cases a word of personal criticism may properly be spoken by one human being to another. The remaining times, the criticism will probably do more harm than good. But there is one rule against criticism which we may safely set down as final and without an exception even once in a thousand times. "Don't criticize what love does," is the rule as Mr. S. D. Gordon gives it. When we know that any action has been prompted by love, then, it matters not how mistaken or wrong we may think the action, let us seal our lips against a syllable in criticism of the person whose love has been expressed. No wound hurts more than that of being condemned for an unselfish effort to help others. Criticism then is cruelty. The historic illustration of this is Judas' criticism of Mary when she lavished the costly ointment on Jesus. Every-day life teems with other instances of this refined cruelty: fathers and mothers criticizing their children; children their parents; brothers and sisters, teachers and pupils, friends and fellow workers, all sharply condemning each others' actions of love. We revolt at the thought, but let us watch ourselves and others for a day and see. It is well to recognize that it is the Judas side of our natures that prompts or permits us to wound and crush another's love by criticizing when we ought to commend. Love is to be cherished, not stifled. —Anon.