"Then He said to the disciples, It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come."
Luke 17:1 (NKJV)
There is one thing you need to get settled right now, some time, in some place, in some way, someone will do something that will offend you. The thing is not if an offense will come or not but it is just a matter of when and how it will come. Jesus said it is impossible that no offenses would come so being offended is something we can be sure will happen to us sooner or later. The important thing is what we do after we are offended. One key to living a successful life is not found in avoiding problems, and even offenses, but what we do after we have a problem or get offended.
Like everyone else in the world I have had the experience of being offended. I can recall times when a person did or said something that was uncalled for and even rude. My initial reaction was to be upset and offended by it but I also realized that I can either move on in my life and get over the difficulty that just came my way or I could allow this offense to become a landmark in my life. Unfortunately, that is how some people react. I have met people who were offended and that offense became a hindrance in their life that they focused on and never moved forward from and the offense became a barrier that they never seemed to cross over.
So, what can we do if we are offended? The first thing I would say, and what I have done myself, is to realize that these kinds of things happen; offenses are not a rare occurrence so we should not be shocked and surprised when they come. Secondly, we must choose to not hold any bitterness towards the person that was involved in the offense. Holding a grudge, being bitter and unforgiving, will only hurt us and have no impact on the other person or the situation anyway. We need to learn to let things go and move on in life so that the offenses we experience do not become a barrier in our life that prevents us from moving forward into what God wants us to do.
Luke 17:1 (NKJV)
There is one thing you need to get settled right now, some time, in some place, in some way, someone will do something that will offend you. The thing is not if an offense will come or not but it is just a matter of when and how it will come. Jesus said it is impossible that no offenses would come so being offended is something we can be sure will happen to us sooner or later. The important thing is what we do after we are offended. One key to living a successful life is not found in avoiding problems, and even offenses, but what we do after we have a problem or get offended.
Like everyone else in the world I have had the experience of being offended. I can recall times when a person did or said something that was uncalled for and even rude. My initial reaction was to be upset and offended by it but I also realized that I can either move on in my life and get over the difficulty that just came my way or I could allow this offense to become a landmark in my life. Unfortunately, that is how some people react. I have met people who were offended and that offense became a hindrance in their life that they focused on and never moved forward from and the offense became a barrier that they never seemed to cross over.
So, what can we do if we are offended? The first thing I would say, and what I have done myself, is to realize that these kinds of things happen; offenses are not a rare occurrence so we should not be shocked and surprised when they come. Secondly, we must choose to not hold any bitterness towards the person that was involved in the offense. Holding a grudge, being bitter and unforgiving, will only hurt us and have no impact on the other person or the situation anyway. We need to learn to let things go and move on in life so that the offenses we experience do not become a barrier in our life that prevents us from moving forward into what God wants us to do.
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