Words do hurt.
They seem to hit us with more force than stones, and take much longer to heal too. Criticism is painful in every setting, but in the church, where you are serving people to the best of your ability, it can be the most difficult. Not only that, but their opinions carry a lot of weight. People are actually influenced by the professional Critic's judgments and assessments in a given area. I don't know about you, but I seldom agree with them.