How to handle criticism part 1

I want to talk to you today about how to handle criticism. Everyone of us in life will have times when we are being critical. Somebodys talking about us trying to make us look bad, blowing things out of proportion. These people have no interest in helping us. They are just trying to drag us down. Now, I've found that most criticism is based out of jealously. Its based out of a competitive spirit. You have something that they want but instead of being happy for you, instead of keeping a good attitude knowing that God can do if for them that jealousy rises up and the way they release it is by talking, by being critical, being cynical. Trying to make you look bad. The more successful you are the more criticism you will encounter.
You get that promotion at teh office, don't be suprised if your critics come out of the woodwork. He's not that talented, he's just a manipulator, he's just playing up to the boss. See unfortuanently not everybody will celebrate your victories with you. But here is the key..you shouldn't take that personally, many times its not even directed at you. If it wasnt you it would be somebody else. It's something on the inside of them and unless they deal with it it's going to keep them from rising higher. One of the most important things I've ever learned is to celebrate other people's victories. Lets learn to celebrate other people's victories. Let it inspire you. Know that if God can do it for someone else then he can do it for you. Too many poeple today fall into that trap of being jealous. There is so much competiveness and even cynicism in our society today and if we are going to be our best we need to know how to deal with people that are talking about us, people that are judging us, people that are even making false accusations. In the old testament these people were called slingers. They way they got their name is when and enemy went to attack a city many times the first thing they would do was take the stone off of the wall that was protecting that city and they would sling those stones into their wells. They knew that if they could get the wells clogged up with these stones then eventually the people would have to come out. Their water supply would be gone. And its the same parrallel today. We all have a well of good things on the inside. A well of joy, a well of peace, a well of victory, but too often we let the slingers clog up our wells. Somebody's talking about us. Instead of letting it go we go around dwelling on it all upset thinking man I'm going to pay you back your talking about me. let me tell you what I know about you. NO, you need to make it a priority to keep your well pure.