I have learned to treat all compliments and criticism the same – like a hot potato.

Adrian Rogers, one of my all-time favorite preachers, said that he passed on to the Lord every compliment and criticism that came to him. I am pretty sure I heard a similar lesson from Charles Stanley as well.

As I pondered that principle, it occurred to me that we should treat both compliments and criticisms as we do a hot potato. We do not hold on to a hot potato very long because if we do, we get burned.

When someone is kind enough to compliment me, I am grateful, and I say, “Thank you,” but I quickly hand it over to the One who deserves that compliment – Jesus. Any praise I receive is simply a testament to Him in my life. The longer I walk with the Lord, the more I am thoroughly convinced of the truth found in the book of John, which reads, “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) 

I know that without the Lord living in and through me, I can do absolutely nothing of good, deserving a compliment.

Likewise, when someone criticizes me, I hand that criticism over to Jesus, because I cannot handle it, but He certainly can. I am told in the Bible that with God’s help, I can handle anything. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” [Phil. 4:13]

The danger in holding onto either a compliment or a criticism for too long, is that we might start to “believe our own press,” for good or bad, and both are a trap of the enemy! The enemy of our soul, Satan himself, would love nothing more than for us to think too much or too little of ourselves, because either way, we are sure to get burned in the end.

I jokingly told my husband the other day, that when I receive complimentary emails about my articles in the newspaper or for any reason, I just forward them to the CEO of my life and ministry – God. And when I receive emails that are antagonistic toward God and are not encouraging, I say a quick prayer for them because they obviously need the Lord, and then forward those emails on to the CEO as well, but I add a P.S. to the bottom – “Sic ‘em Lord.”

And lest you think that cruel, just read Psalm 109 – King David’s prayer over his enemies.

Be grateful for the kind words and compliments of others. They are gifts from the Lord. Treasure them in your heart, but quickly lay them at the feet of Jesus. And as for the other … well, you now know what to do with those.

Lisa Hannan lives in Valdosta with her husband, attorney Miles Hannan, who has been practicing law in Valdosta for more than 30 years. She has a B.S. in psychology from Valdosta State University. You can find her at www.lisahannan.org.