Loving Well in a Broken World by Lauren CasperSample

When Jesus spoke about his imminent suffering, death, and resurrection, his disciples weren’t thrilled with what they heard. Peter was aghast and protested, “This will never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22 NLT). In other words, this is unacceptable—it must never happen!

Peter’s intentions were good—to protect and defend—but they were also misguided. So Jesus called him out. It was a pretty harsh rebuke too. “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (Matthew 16:23 NLT).

Oof. That had to land like a punch to the gut. But Jesus didn’t send Peter away, and Peter didn’t run away. In fact, Peter messed up a lot and was consistently rebuked by Jesus, but he took each correction to heart. As a result, he grew more loving and faithful and passionate and committed. Jesus wasn’t attacking Peter; he was lovingly preparing him for a life of ministry.

When Jesus rebuked his disciples for shooing children away from him, he was showing them how to love. When he corrected them for rejecting the woman who anointed him with costly oil, he was showing them how to worship. When he told Martha that Mary had chosen the better way, he was showing her how to learn. Consistently throughout the Gospels, we see a Jesus who isn’t stingy with his criticisms but uses them to help his followers become new people who see things in new ways—ways that sowed more seeds of love and empathy in the world. . . .

I can choose how I receive criticism. One option is to step out of the spotlight that illuminates my flaws and failures. The other is to allow criticism to be a flashlight shining on a previously unseen experience, illuminating my path, and leading me forward into greater love and empathy.