When was the last time someone offended you? If you’re living in the world and walking amongst its people, probably not very long ago. It’s easy to get your feelings hurt or your ego squished. We live in a society gone mad in a sense, thanks to keyboard warriors and endless social media sites to camp out on all hours of the day. You can pretty much count on someone stepping on your toes if you dabble at all in any arena where people live and function.
We are humans, afterall.
Not a day goes by that I don’t find something annoying or offensive online. I read posts from friends or acquaintances and cringe at the thoughtlessness behind some of them. Thankfully, God is quick to remind me that I am no different than any other person who posts my beliefs or ideals on the internet. It’s all a heart issue. What’s in our hearts, we spill out.
That’s convicting, huh?
I’ve been wondering, what’s it like to live without offense? The one person who had every right to be offended was treated as offensively as a person ever has been yet HE FORGAVE every one of his offenders. My answer comes in the form of Jesus. He knew offense and he forgave anyway. What a challenge to my own flesh!
Been offended?
I’ve felt the sting of exclusion in friendships.
I’ve experienced being gossiped about.
I’ve been lied to and about in my community and relationships.
I’ve walked the pain of backstabbing so-called friends and even church people.
I’ve been on the receiving end of ugliness & even hate.
I’ve been falsely accused.
I’ve known two-faced people with bad intentions towards me and my family.
I’ve had hurtful words said to me.
….
I’ve experienced being offended, wounded and hurt beyond what words can describe and I AM STILL ALIVE AND WELL.
If you just peek out in the world, you will find the hurt that’s there in the form of offense. Someone somewhere is lurking around with a heart that’s all messed up and they will find you. You cannot hide from the pain of offense. It’s here, there and everywhere.
However, you can live with an attitude of forgiveness.
This might sting a little but there’s real freedom in NOT TAKING something personally. No matter who or how someone treats you — it DOES NOT reflect on you (or me). It reveals everything about them. Worrying about what someone says or does to us can be exhausting! People are flawed, they’re hurting and from my own life experience….hurting people really do try to hurt other people.
If you are feeling like others constantly dump their poison & anger on you, you can do something about it. First, forgive them. Pray for them and ask God to help you love them like HE DOES (because, guess what? GOD LOVES THAT PERSON). Second, come to grips with the fact that if what they say to you offends you, you might be a little off-balance yourself. What is going on in your own heart that your first inclination is to be offended? Is it a hate issue? Is it that you just want to stay the same and never grow? Listen, I have grown more from the pain in my life than I’ve ever grown from joy.
Stop being offended.
You are not a delicate daisy. You are strong, you are smart and you are God’s child. You are capable of living unoffended. If Jesus could do it, so can you (and me).
I’m convinced that the enemy enjoys the broken relationships of our lives more than anything else. If he can keep us angry, jealous or in a state of dislike with one another…what better way of destroying the good that can come from healed people. When we wallow in our hurt, we are not in the game of loving outside of ourselves.
Somebody out there needs you (and me) and if we’re trapped in an offendable state, we’re useless!
