2 Timothy 2:15 (New International Version)
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved,
a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of
truth.
How a person reacts to criticism often means the
difference between success and failure. Take the case of Ole Bull, the famous
Norwegian violinist of the past century.
His practical father, a chemist, sent him to the
University of Christiania to study for the ministry and forbade him to play his
beloved violin. He promptly flunked out and, defying his father, devoted all
his time and energy to the violin.
Unfortunately, though he had great ability, his teachers
were relatively unskilled, so that by the time he was ready to start his
concert tour he wasn't prepared.
In Italy a Milan newspaper critic wrote: "He is an untrained
musician. If he be a diamond, he is certainly in the rough and
unpolished."
There were two ways Ole Bull could have reacted to that
criticism. He could have let it make him angry, or he could learn from it.
Fortunately he chose the latter. He went to the newspaper
office and asked to see the critic. The astounded editor introduced him. Ole
spent the evening with the 70-year-old critic, asked about his faults, and
sought the older man's advice on how to correct them.
Then he cancelled the rest of his tour, returned home,
and spent the next six months studying under really able teachers.
He practiced hours upon hours to overcome his faults.
Finally, he returned to his concerts and, when only 26, became the sensation of
Europe.
Dear Lord we pray that we would not get discouraged with
things that happen around us. We pray that we would work hard to make ourselves
better. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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