Tuesday; August 1

There is a big push these days to be inoffensive. I get it, in fact I believe that we should put our best foot forward and work on treating everyone with respect. Interestingly, this principle that is being espoused by the modern world has its roots in Christianity. Jesus commanded His disciples to love all people and Paul included kindness as a part of the “fruit of the Spirit”. Paul put it pretty succinctly, “So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” (Colossians 3:12-14). Yes, disciples of Jesus have a responsibility to treat people with respect.

However, I believe there is something people can do today that will make this principle easier – we must stop being so easily offended. When we take our emotions off of our sleeves and give others the benefit of the doubt, we will be less likely to take offense to what others say. Did you notice that included along with “kindness” in Paul’s writing is the direction to “forgive each other”? While some people make offensive comments intentionally, many others of us do so without malice. By trying to understand others and toughening up our own skin, we can avoid a lot of hurt feelings!

Do we feel misunderstood or under-appreciated? What can we do about it on our end? If we are looking for contentment in life, it will be much easier to come up with a plan to deal with potentially offensive comments than try to stop the world from making them.

Think About It!

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