On another occasion, a person said, out of fear, "If the organization gets too large, it can always be shut down." Huh? Et Tu Brute? Why would anyone want to see an organization be sidelined when caring for the vulnerable people Jesus repeatedly said to care for? Stunning.
Take a moment and list your naysayers. Write their names down. Don't confront the person; confront the stories you are telling yourself, the negative echoes you can't get out of your head. Now, choose to break up with them. No more replays. Move on. Trust those who have breathed life into you.
Yes, we need to be sure there is not some measure of truth/wisdom in their
critiques. If there is, embrace the critique and make necessary tweaks. We need to be teachable. Choose not to be bitter. Your naysayers are probably nice. They are not bad people. They may have influential titles, but you don't need to let them marginalize you. Treat them well, no matter how they treat you. Jesus said to.
Finally, let's be sure we are not someone's naysayer. Let's have a reputation for helping others get to the next level—to be the best version of themselves. Let's help people succeed on their personal pilgrimage.
*Not kidding. We were literally working out of a shoebox—all of our child sponsorships at that time were filed in a shoebox!