ormation is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to

Now that the news has died down about a certain 40 something pop star and his court case, we have a chance for some spiritual reflection on the events. Of course we don’t know what he did or didn’t do with young boys. You might argue with how the lawyers on either side or the judge handled the case. But one thing is for sure. A grown man shouldn’t be sharing his bed with other people’s children for any reason.

If he were merely the man next door, and not a multi-millionaire and a star, every friend of his would be saying to him, “Are you crazy? Don’t you dare sleep with kids!” But wealth and fame have helped surround this man with “Yes sir”, “No problem” people.

Commercial success can ruin your life.

We don’t like other people putting their nose in our business, but nosy people can sometimes prevent someone from bad behavior. Have you ever thought to yourself, “What would people say?”, and stopped yourself from doing something immoral? The embarrassment of being “found out” keeps many people from adultery, theft, and all types of public indecency. Maybe we should invite scrutiny from others. Maybe that observing eye will make us better people.

The comedy group Monty Python had a skit where a person sat in a room waiting for a “customer” to come in for an argument. It was a scheduled appointment and the arguer was sitting there poised for the disagreement. It might be beneficial if we had a similar situation with a criticizer instead of an arguer. Someone who was an expert at pointing out the moral failings of the “customer”. You walk in the room delayed and the criticizer says, “You’re late because you don’t care about other people. Why is my time unimportant to you?”

I wonder how many of us would have the guts to make an appointment.

If you could correct one moral mistake, that might change your placement in the next world for eternity. That information is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to

naire and a star, every friend of his would be saying to him, “Are you crazy? Don’t you dare sleep with kids!” But wealth and fame have helped surround this man with “Yes sir”, “No problem” people.

Commercial success can ruin your life.

We don’t like other people putting their nose in our business, but nosy people can sometimes prevent someone from bad behavior. Have you ever thought to yourself, “What would people say?”, and stopped yourself from doing something immoral? The embarrassment of being “found out” keeps many people from adultery, theft, and all types of public indecency. Maybe we should invite scrutiny from others. Maybe that observing eye will make us better people.

The comedy group Monty Python had a skit where a person sat in a room waiting for a “customer” to come in for an argument. It was a scheduled appointment and the arguer was sitting there poised for the disagreement. It might be beneficial if we had a similar situation with a criticizer instead of an arguer. Someone who was an expert at pointing out the moral failings of the “customer”. You walk in the room delayed and the criticizer says, “You’re late because you don’t care about other people. Why is my time unimportant to you?”

I wonder how many of us would have the guts to make an appointment.

If you could correct one moral mistake, that might change your placement in the next world for eternity. That information is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to

immoral? The embarrassment of being “found out” keeps many people from adultery, theft, and all types of public indecency. Maybe we should invite scrutiny from others. Maybe that observing eye will make us better people.

The comedy group Monty Python had a skit where a person sat in a room waiting for a “customer” to come in for an argument. It was a scheduled appointment and the arguer was sitting there poised for the disagreement. It might be beneficial if we had a similar situation with a criticizer instead of an arguer. Someone who was an expert at pointing out the moral failings of the “customer”. You walk in the room delayed and the criticizer says, “You’re late because you don’t care about other people. Why is my time unimportant to you?”

I wonder how many of us would have the guts to make an appointment.

If you could correct one moral mistake, that might change your placement in the next world for eternity. That information is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to

a similar situation with a criticizer instead of an arguer. Someone who was an expert at pointing out the moral failings of the “customer”. You walk in the room delayed and the criticizer says, “You’re late because you don’t care about other people. Why is my time unimportant to you?”

I wonder how many of us would have the guts to make an appointment.

If you could correct one moral mistake, that might change your placement in the next world for eternity. That information is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to

ormation is priceless. You couldn’t possibly pay the criticizer enough money for what that piece of criticism is really worth.

You might ask at this point, “But how do I know the criticizer’s point is true? Maybe it’s a mistake and will lead me in the wrong direction.” Well that’s certainly a possibility. Sometimes, however, all we need is an objective person to point out a flaw of ours and we immediately see that it’s true. There are some prerequisites. You have to be open to it. You have to start with a positive and accurate self-appraisal in order for criticism to hit the right spot.

There was a time when we had prophecy, that a prophet could give an accurate spiritual critique to anyone. (As you might imagine, this made them unpopular on occasion with not so righteous kings.) But that was a prophet’s job. Now that we don’t have prophets walking down the road, we are at a loss. Do we have any Divine guidance to help us correct ourselves?

Yes. If you are aware that the Almighty runs the universe, then you can se that anything anyone ever tells you is in some way Divinely inspired. It may or may not be accurate, that’s part of your challenge in life to sift out the gems, but everyone around you in subtle ways is expressing moral criticism that comes straight from God. If you are willing to listen, the lessons are there.

One of the ways to be holy is to be more aware of the sparks of Divinity in the world around you. Listen to the Almighty speaking to you in the words of others.

Take heed.

Look for criticism. Seek it. Savor it, as it may do extremely wonderful things for you in this world, and the next.

"Opportunities multiply as they are seized." - Sun Tzu