OK, as part of Positive Post Tuesday, this is supposed to be about somebody specific. And I guess it is. It's about YOU:
There will never be a statue of a critic. Try me - go to your town square. There might be a war hero or a Civil Rights activist or a boll weevil*, but no critic.
Why? Because it's too easy. Critics are twelve for ten cents. If critics are worthy of a statue, we've got a lot of statues to be building.
I challenge you. I defy you. Look for the good in the world and talk about that. Be an encourager. Take risks. Fly in the face of critics. Be great. You might get "criticized". It might even hurt. But stick to your guns. Try to make the world a better place. Look for heaven on earth - that's literally what Christ called us to do.
Avoid being a critic at all costs. It's no fun, and it brings people down.
I'm going to say it one more time: find the good and praise it.
If it's not there, make your own. Is all the art out there bad? Make some good art. Are all the blogs out there bad? Make a good blog. Is all the news out there bad? Make some good news**.
Maybe one day they'll make a statue of you.
(It is the goal of this blog to find the good and praise it. This post in particular is part of Positive Post Tuesday, hosted by Mr. Brody Harper.)
* In Enterprise, AL they literally have a statue of a boll weevil.
** Hmmm. Sounds familiar doesn't it? Check out Luke 2:10
See? This is why I love you guys! :D
Posted by: Abby | November 05, 2009 at 03:40 PM
Great post, Mark! I enjoyed it so much, it rattled around in my head for a while and came out today as a response blog post over at my place:
http://jonathanpaulmusic.com/blog/2008/07/statues-of-critics/
I'd love to hear your thoughts. ...and congrats on playing The Tonight Show the other evening. That's sweet!
Posted by: Jonathan Paul | July 31, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Dude, great post! Really convicting to me as I've been around a lot of "church" critics lately and have been sensing the tendency in myself to do the same. Nothing is perfect in this world except for the love of Jesus, so I need to make sure to bring that into every conversation.
Posted by: dwight watson | May 28, 2008 at 05:15 PM
mark... i'll be at the UAM campus tomorrow and will check out the bookstore for said t-shirt... if'n you really want one, you can send a shipping address to my email and it'll be a done deal!
about your summer reading list... i just finished a neat little book entitled "same kind of different as me." i know it doesnt fall into the june 1 start date, and i will read me some other books during the summer, but this is just a little heads-up to a very cool true story. awe-inspiring and a great bridge between this post on positivity and the summer reading club post...
Posted by: dean | May 27, 2008 at 10:30 PM
This is a good word. I needed to hear it today. Prov 16:24. Thanks, Mark!!
Posted by: AnnieD | May 27, 2008 at 07:51 PM
WOW this rings true and I needed to hear this today! In fact... I had been moaning and groaning so much about the gas prices that my wife said to me... "we'll just stay home more often like when we did when we were kids". She's right... that would be a good thing for us since we are on the go SO much! Maybe God is working on fixing the American family with the gas ordeal by making us stay home and spending more time together and getting creative... at least that's how I'm gonna view it from this point on... thanks for the perspective shift Mark.
Bernie
PS... I'm trying my best to create good art...
Posted by: Bernie Rosage Jr. | May 27, 2008 at 06:03 PM
Yes, why do we find it so easy to be critical, yet there are sooo many positive things happening around us each day. I agree with the self defamation thing, I find that very easy!
Today will be positive day! I promise.
Posted by: marg | May 27, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Great thoughts, Mark!
Posted by: DeWayne Hamby | May 27, 2008 at 03:54 PM
Thanks for the reminder, Mark! It makes me think about my grandma; I don't think she ever said anything negative about anybody. That's a good way to be.
Posted by: Jonathan | May 27, 2008 at 12:17 PM
Wow, I needed that!
Posted by: jarrod morris | May 27, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Good word, Corrine :)
cool dad, I'm totally with you. I am the king of self-bashing! Gotta get over that one...
Dean, I need to score me a UA Monticello Fighting Boll Weevils T shirt!
Brody, thanks for being the positive force behind the positivity...
Posted by: Mark | May 27, 2008 at 11:20 AM
I try to be positive at all times. I cannot stand being around a negative person, just cannot stand it. I wish everyone would live by Philipians 4:8 - "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things."
Posted by: Mama Gomer | May 27, 2008 at 11:16 AM
Great words, Mark! It's good to be mindful that our biggest critic is often ourself. A lot of times, I need to get over my own self-bashing and doubt.
Posted by: cool dad | May 27, 2008 at 10:44 AM
"positively" awesome! actually, here in lil ol monticello, arkansas, our college, the unversity of arkansas at monicello, is the home of the fighting boll weevils, and it would be cool to have that statue, but since the city of enterprise has suffered much pain and anguish over it's original statue being stolen and vandalized so much, plus they now have surveillance cameras watching the new one, plus, stealing their statue wouldn't be in the true spirit of this post, so we'll just leave things as they are. 'preciate the encouraging words (and the add in the blogroll too!)
Posted by: dean | May 27, 2008 at 09:23 AM
Love it. Thanks for participating Mark. This post is the thought behind "Positive Post Tuesday" so it fit's perfectly.
Posted by: Brody | May 27, 2008 at 08:40 AM