Every so often we encounter people who are somewhat a negative force in our lives. I don’t mean to sound so dark and cynical, but the fact of the matter is there are just some people, who, after we spend time with them, leave us feeling incompetent and sometimes…just down. These people may either be ill-meaning people, who just really want to make others feel bad in order to feel good about themselves, or they may be ones who actually have good intentions, but just don’t know how to encourage and show their concern any better.

For most of my life, I’ve encountered both really positive people– who rallied with me and encouraged me to believe in myself and do great things, and negative people– who chose to see the not-so-good in me or used criticism as their way of “pushing” me to try to achieve greater things.

I wish I could say that criticism still ended up producing a positive fruit in my life and helped me by challenging me to do more, and I wish I could say that the effect of negative criticism is very insignificant compared to the effect of positivity….but the reality for me is they both have had a significant effect as to how I approach things.

There are some things I do with confidence because I grew up knowing that people believed that I’d do well in those areas, while there are some matters I approach with much fear and uncertainty about myself, simply because there was at least one who showed lack of faith in me in that particular field.

One person. One harsh comment. Sometimes that is all it takes to have our dreams thrown out the window.

I just realized that in some very promising areas of my life, I have allowed others to steal my confidence and my hope. I have allowed other people dictate the outcome of my endeavors. I have allowed criticism to have its effect on me by agreeing with it somehow.

And then I remember that there was one person who did something so great in my life that gave me all the hope, all the confidence, and all the strength I’ve needed and shall be needing in this lifetime.

One person. One promise. I forget that this in fact is all I need to be able to pursue my dreams and see them come to pass.

A very wise man told me, ” When you over-estimate the effect of [the critic and critique] on you, you are underestimating the effect of what Christ has already done in you and for you.”

So true. We can’t avoid it– every so often we will encounter dream-stealers and hope-crushers. Let us NOT overestimate the effect of these people and circumstances on us. Let us be reminded instead of the greater power that has been at work in us, through us, and for us all along– God’s love.

That, we can never over-estimate.