Random Thoughts

"I have merely managed to escape criticism; I have not earned praise." - Horace, Epistle to the Pisones

"I had been far more anxious to avoid suffering than I was to achieve delight." - C.S. Lewis, Surprised by Joy

Although the one by Lewis sounds a little more distorted the one by Horace should be carefully considered. Our goal, as Christians, is not to earn praise, unless of course that praise is channeled back to the One who merits praise. It is also our goal to escape criticism. We will undoubtedly be criticized yet we must never give grounds for criticism. The enemy lashes out at us through criticism and yet his criticism of us must always be false. If the enemy does this heed the advice of Southern Baptist preacher Vance Havner, "Don’t be a quitter because somebody criticizes you. Many a choir singer has performed until somebody hurt her feelings. Then the nightingale became a raven croaking, 'Nevermore'."

Of course the problem is that suffering is something we also wish to avoid or escape. But with suffering we have a double-edged sword. Suffering can come from the enemy but it can also come from our Leader (God). Suffering is not always to be avoided. Whereas genuine criticism must always be avoided (of course, I am not referring to the "constructive criticism" but to the "destructive" kind).

We do want, then, to escape criticism. We do not want to earn praise (unless it be returned to God). Suffering is up for grabs. Sometimes it should be avoided, other times it must be taken advantage of. But as for achieving delight. Hmmm. This one is one that we must pursue. Delight is found in God and in nothing else. For the best expose on this concept you must look into Piper and his writings. But delight, as a whole, is from God and must be achieved. In fact the best thing possible is a consistent delight. A 24/7 delight station would be best. But that's not possible until Heaven so we make do with as much as possible while on earth.