Unoffendable
Is that even a real word? My spell-checker doesn't think so. It seems like such an impossible concept to me, I wonder why the word would exist! But a conversation I had with a friend last week has gotten me to consider the idea. We were discussing a misunderstanding which resulted in 1)a mutual friend becoming offended, and 2)the beginning of a rift which could have proved devastating - had Satan been able to run with the offense and wreak his havoc.My friend said she thought we, as Christians, should be able to not become offended. That, somehow, we should be able to hear what other people say and - even if their words are disagreeable to us in some manner, or down right hurtful - not become upset about it. And her words got me thinking. *What if we were so confident in our identity in Christ that it didn't matter to us when someone else said we weren't "good enough" to be in their club? *What if we were so secure in God's love for us that we weren't bothered by a particular person not liking us because of our stand on certain issues? *What if we listened with so much grace that we heard the hurt in another person's voice, rather than letting their remarks hurt us? *What if we had so much generosity in our spirit that we automatically assumed the best of another person's intentions, rather than the worst? What if we really were unoffendable?
2 comments:
Whoa!! Now there something to ponder. Immediately I thought that perhaps God is unoffendable, but then I decided that He is not. He is holy and our sin offends His holiness. He is righteously and justly offended. Perhaps we just need to change the attitude with which we express our offense?
Leah - Yes! Certainly God is righteously and justly offended by our sin.
It seems to me, though, most of the time we are "offended" it has far less to do with righteousness, and a lot more to do with our own pride and insecurities.
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