R. Kent Hughes, former Pastor of College Church in Wheaton, IL, relates the “experience of a certain young bachelor”:

 

“Every time he brought a prospective wife home, his mother criticized her unmercifully. The young man was at his wits end when a friend offered this advice: “Find someone like your mother.” So, he looked and looked until he found a clone. She looked like his mother, her manner of walking was like his mother’s, she talked like his mother, and she even thought like his mother. It was amazing! So, he took her home. The next time he saw the friend who had given the advice and was asked how his mother liked the girl, the bachelor answered, “It went great. My mother loved her, but my father couldn’t stand her.” 

 

The unfortunate situation of this young man illustrates well just how unbecoming a hyper-critical spirit can be. It is hard to please someone like that and hard to be around such a person as well. We should all want to avoid becoming like that if we want to have healthy relationships and do not want to constantly alienate and offend those around us.