Tim Keller writes a very helpful post on criticism, interacting with John Newton. A blurb...
So whatever you do, do anything you can to avoid feeling smug and superior to the critic. Even if you say to yourself that you are just 'shrugging it off' and that you are not going to respond to the criticism, you can nonetheless conduct a full defense and refutation in the courtroom of your mind, in which you triumphantly prove how awful and despicable your opponents are. But that is a spiritual trap.
Keller's whole post. John Newton: On Controversy.