The Underbelly

“This will result in your being witnesses to them.

But make up your mind not to worry beforehand

how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you

words and wisdom that none of your adversaries

will be able to resist or contradict.”

(Luke 21:13 – 15)

Criticism stinks. That’s usually my first thought when someone makes it clear they don’t like something I’ve done or said.

My pride says, “How dare you!”

My heart says, “I want a chance to explain.”

My soul says, “Jesus, am I off base?”

My mind says, “Why do I open myself up like this?”

My feelings say, “Ouch.”

Sometimes criticism is fair. Maybe I messed up and it would serve me well to reconsider. Other times criticism is nothing but rotten spew. And boy, does it stink. But if I get stuck in the stink, it serves no good purpose.

Might there be another way to look at harsh criticism? To get past the hurt to see if it has an underbelly I should consider?

The other day I Googled the word underbelly and stumbled on an article about the armadillo lizard. This fascinating creature has hard and pointy scales that have “Don’t mess with me” written all over them. But, like all tough creatures, this lizard has a vulnerable place.

The armadillo lizard’s tough exterior wraps around its back but softens at the underbelly. When threatened, the lizard grabs its tail and displays a prickly, intimidating posture to keep other creatures away. At that point, the rest of its body serves only one purpose —to hide and protect its most vulnerable part.

So what does a strange desert creature have to do with criticism?

In an effort to protect my underbelly, I sometimes get all wrapped up in myself and tragically forget the underbelly of my critic — the place they are vulnerable and the things they might be hiding and protecting beneath the harsh words and prickly exterior. This is a place they may never let me see. It’s the storage place for their hurts and disappointments. It holds the root cause of their skepticism and the anger that probably has very little to do with me. Remember, “the mouth speaks what the heart is full of” (Matthew 12:34). And from the overflow of their underbelly, they spewed.

If I forget the other person’s underbelly, I am tempted to start storing up my own hurt, skepticism, anger, and disappointments. If I remember this underbelly, I have a much greater chance to keep it all in perspective. I can let my reaction be a good example to this other person just as Luke 21:13 – 15 reminds us: “This will result in you being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.” Yes, I must make up my mind not to worry about defending myself. Then I uncoil. And I see the opportunity to witness.