Standard Seven: Constructive Criticism is Different than a Critical Spirit
Honestly, I cannot be friends with the glass half empty kind of people. This standard for friendship is similar to the health standard.
It’s different if someone is dealing with a difficult circumstance in life like losing their job and that’s affecting them a bit. That’s circumstantial and it is seasonal. But if a friend is always pointing out what is wrong with the world, other people, or even with you they might have a critical spirit.
That isn’t something you can fix with a positive attitude and lots of smiles, but it’s something that that person will need to address and handle. It’s great to have friends who can be honest even when it’s difficult, and can share things with us that might sound critical but are meant to help us grow and to challenge us in a positive direction.
It’s an entirely different thing if someone is so focused on their critical perspective of life that it’s all consuming.
Have you ever heard the expression, “surround yourself with people who you would like to become?”
When I heard that quote it stuck with me, and personally, I don’t want to become more critical so you won’t find me surrounding myself with critical people.