Be Immune to Praise and Blame

by Rev. Tess Pender, M. Div.

Newly ordained ministers are warned to never listen to the comments at the end of a service.  After delivering a sermon, the Minister stands at the door of the sanctuary and says goodbye to the congregation, and is frequently complimented on the vital, life-changing content of the sermon!  Sometimes, they are told what significant points they missed, or how off the mark they were.  In any case, the warning is to recognize that the praise or complaints are NOT directed to them, but to the projection of the Divine the congregant is addressing.

It’s actually easy to shake off complaints.  We are taught from an early age that “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.”  And ignoring the obvious untruth of the ditty, (yes, words can do incredible damage) we are regularly encouraged to let criticism slide off.  We at least learn to conceal our pain under a “thick skin” and are taught not to be so sensitive. Learning to let go of compliments is much harder!  We all want to be a force for good, and recognition of our victories is sweet.  The only ones taught to reject – or deflect – praise seems to be gospel singers (finger pointing up, “all praise to God”), black sports stars from majority-black churches (“I thank the Lord who gives me everything”), and some followers of eastern Gurus (accepting an award with “for God and Guru”)!

The trend to encourage self-respect fuels the addiction to approval and praise, as do our electronic devices!  We are taught not to deflect praise (oh, this old thing?) but to accept and welcome compliments with a sincere “thank you”.   While this approach may be good for self-esteem, it draws us deeper into addiction to other’s opinion.  In twelve-step programs, a powerful slogan is “What you think of me is none of my business” – meant to break the bonds of people-pleasing that is so much a part of addiction.  A recent report says that people even check their cell phones while in church to see if there are new “likes” for their page, post, or video.

It is evident why negative feedback or judgments are harmful, and chasing approval leads to loss of self and weakness.  But what in the world is wrong with learning to accept compliments?  How can admiration be a bad thing?  There is nothing in the universe quite so seductive as adoration!  Look at all the fallen idols who succumb to the siren call of admiration – politicians, spiritual leaders, teachers, — in fact – the entire gamut of helpers.

The urge to make things better is a doorway to “believing your PR” – where the helper becomes enamored with their own success in making the world a better place.  Surrounded by admiration, the idealist becomes a target for manipulation, a mark for every con-artist appealing to ego!  It is just a small step from teacher, to guru, to higher power!

How does one avoid the traps of praise and blame?  Once again, twelve step programs offer a path.  From the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous:  “Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.  This thought brings us to Step Ten, which suggests we continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past. We have entered the world of the Spirit. Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter. It should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crops up, we ask God at once to remove them. We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone. Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help. Love and tolerance of others is our code." - A.A. Big Book, p. 84

---

Tess Pender's article, (How To) Be Immune to Praise and Blame, was a cover feature in the September 2017 B issue of OM Times Magazine.

The best escape from addiction to approval is daily evaluation and honest review of all our behaviors.  For those in a profession that attracts regular praise (or blame), daily inventory and immediate corrective action is the defense against the seductiveness of admiration.  And of course, with gospel singers, give all glory to God!