When You Face Unjust Criticism
Have you ever been unfairly criticized or falsely accused when your motives were pure? In this episode, discover how to find peace by entrusting your reputation to God instead of fighting to set the record straight.
Have you ever been unfairly criticized or falsely accused when your motives were pure? In this episode, discover how to find peace by entrusting your reputation to God instead of fighting to set the record straight.
Have you ever had your motives completely misunderstood or faced unjust criticism for doing the right thing?
Few things burn quite like being falsely accused when you know your heart was in the right place. Your immediate instinct is to retaliate, defend yourself, and try to make sure everyone knows the real story. But fighting every critic and trying to control your own reputation is an exhausting, impossible battle that will eventually drain your soul.
In this episode, we explore the story of NYPD officer Larry DePrimo, whose viral act of kindness toward a homeless man was met with unexpected cynicism and accusations online. Instead of going on the defensive, he simply stepped back. Through his quiet response and the powerful example of Jesus found in 1 Peter 2:23, you will learn how to stop fighting for the crowd's approval and start resting in the hands of the ultimate, righteous Judge.
BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL DISCOVER:
- Why our natural instinct to fiercely defend ourselves often steals our peace instead of restoring it
- How Jesus responded to the ultimate unjust accusations, and what His silence means for your own life
- A practical way to release the need to set the record straight and trust God to protect your character
You don't have to answer every accusation when you know the Judge already sees the truth.
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On a cold night in New York City, police officer Larry
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DiPrimo noticed something that most people walking down the
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street had passed right by. A homeless man was standing on the
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sidewalk without shoes. His feet were blistered and red from the
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cold pavement. DiPrimo stepped into a nearby store and used his
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own money to buy the man a pair of warm winter boots. Then he
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walked back outside, knelt down on the sidewalk, and helped the
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man put them on. A tourist happened to see the moment and
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snapped a photo. Within hours, the image spread across the
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internet. People around the world praised the officer's
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simple act of kindness. But not long after the story went viral,
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something unexpected began to happen.
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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Lager.
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faced unjust criticism at some time in our lives. I know I have.
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How do you respond when you're misunderstood or falsely accused?
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Few things rile us quite like being unfairly criticized,
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especially when you know your motives are pure and you feel
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like you can't defend yourself. Everything in you wants to set
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the record straight or worse, retaliate. But today we're going
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to at how Jesus handled unjust treatment and how we can find
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peace when we stop trying to control our own reputation and
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entrust our character to the ultimate righteous judge. Listen
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to what the Apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 2, 23. He did not
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retaliate when he was insulted, nor threaten revenge when he
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suffered. He left his case in the hands of God who always
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judges fairly. Peter is talking about Jesus here. When you think
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about it, no one in human history has ever faced more
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unjust criticism than Christ. He was completely perfect. His
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motives were absolutely pure. And yet, he was called a glutton,
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a drunkard, a blasphemer, and a friend of sinners. Well, he is a
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friend of sinners, but they meant it in a derogatory way.
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When he stood trial for crimes he didn't commit, He had the
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power to call down legions of angels to set the record
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straight. He could have exposed the hypocrisy of every person in
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the room and part of me would have wanted him to do that. But
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he didn't. He stood silent. He didn't retaliate. Instead, he
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left his case, like Peter said, in his father's hands. Most of
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the time, our natural instinct is the exact opposite, isn't it?
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our blood pressure spikes. We immediately start drafting our
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defense in our minds. We want to prove them wrong. I have the
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whole scene play out in my mind of how I'm going to set the
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record straight and rake them over the coals. How dare they do
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that to me? I bet they'll never do that again. I'll give them a
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piece of my mind. But I really don't have that much to spare, I
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know. We feel a desperate need to manage what everyone else
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thinks about us. But trying to manage your reputation is, I
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believe, an exercise in futility. Because there will always be
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critics. There will always be people deeply committed to
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misunderstanding you. If you spend your life trying to answer
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every accusation, you'll have no energy left for the calling
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God's placed on your life. This brings us right back to the
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story of Officer DiPrimo. As the story spread online, some people
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began questioning the moment. Critics suggested the act had
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been staged for attention or publicity, even though the
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officer had never asked for the photo and didn't even know it
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had been taken. DiPrimo didn't spend time defending himself. He
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simply explained that helping someone in need was part of the
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job and moved on. His simple response reminds us of a painful
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truth. Even sincere acts can be misunderstood. But not every
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accusation needs an answer. reputation to the one who sees
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the truth. Maybe you are walking through a season right now when
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you feel like your character is under attack. Someone at work
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threw you under the bus. A family member twisted your words.
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questioned your integrity. You have a choice to make. You can
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exhaust yourself trying to act as your own defense attorney, or
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you can do what Jesus did. You can step down from the witness
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stand and leave your case in the hands of God. He knows your
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heart. He knows the truth, and because he is a God who always
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judges fairly, he'll ultimately make things right. You don't
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have to carry the heavy burden of setting the record straight.
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Here's today's challenge. Think of a situation where you feel
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misunderstood or unfairly criticized right now. Every time
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you feel the urge to mentally rehearse your defense today,
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stop and pray this simple prayer. Lord, I give up my right to
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retaliate. I leave my case in your hands. You know the truth,
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and that's enough for me. And then, let God be the defender of
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your reputation. and our actions are misunderstood. Give us the
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supernatural strength of Jesus to keep our mouths shut when we
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want to retaliate. Help us to stop trying to defend ourselves
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to people who possibly determined to misunderstand us.
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Give us the peace of knowing that you're a fair judge who
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sees the truth and teach us to entrust our reputation entirely
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to you. In Jesus' name, amen. If you're dealing with the pain of
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an unjust accusation today and need a little extra
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encouragement, I would love to pray for you. Just leave me a
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voicemail at dailydevotionsforbusylives.com
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and I'll pray for you by name. Thanks for joining me on Daily
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Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, not every accusation
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needs an answer. Entrust your character to the righteous judge.
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Come back next time for more encouragement to help you live
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grounded in God's truth. Until then, God bless and have a great
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day.
