PCP (No, Not Angel Dust)
A reflection from Titus 2
These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. (Titus 2:15, NIV)
When I was in high school, phencyclidine, also known as angel dust or PCP, was a common drug on the street. So, you can imagine my surprise one day when my Language Arts teacher said, “Today in class, we’re going to do PCP.” Of course, she didn’t mean angel dust. She was talking about a method for peer review of a paper we were writing. She explained that offering constructive criticism can sometimes feel hurtful to the one who receives it, even though it’s intended to help them. So, we should sandwich our critique between positive observations of our classmate’s work: Positive — Critique — Positive, or PCP.
To be emotionally healthy and mature, we need both positive affirmation and constructive criticism. The Apostle Paul instructed Titus to do both: “Encourage and rebuke with all authority.” The challenge is that we tend to gravitate toward one or the other, encouraging or rebuking.
I’m not great at rebuking. I’m not overly gushy with words of affirmation, but I often struggle to give people critical feedback, even when I know it could help them. I don’t want to hurt them. But sometimes, people need to feel a little discomfort to know they didn’t meet the mark. And, when rebuke is offered with the right attitude and for the right reason, it can be effective at calling people up to reach their potential.
Don’t miss that, however. Rebuke needs to come from a heart that is seeking to help, not harm. Romans 8:1 tells us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. We should call others up. We should never put them down. They may sometimes need to be corrected. They should never be degraded.
Proverbs 27:6 says, “Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses.” A friend who loves you enough to rebuke you is a rare kind of friend. Hold onto friends like that. Be a friend like that. Just remember to do PCP when you do.
During most of my working career I was required to perform yearly, and sometimes more frequent employe performance reviews. My natural tendency has always been to focus more on the negative. So attempting to put a positive spin on it and focus on the positive parts of a review was always one of my biggest and most important challenges. The personality of each individual made it easy for some and most difficult for others.
I thank God for guiding through all of them.