Offense

If I had to be entirely honest, I am sick of people being offended all the time over stupid insignificant stuff. But to remain entirely honest, I at times am offended over stupid insignificant stuff.

Here's the thing. The stuff I am bothered by is the stuff I have a problem with. THAT'S RIGHT! The problem you have with others is generally your own problem. When I don't struggle with an issue that someone has with me it really doesn't bother me, life goes on. I want to help that person, but not everyone can receive from me. I CANNOT help everyone. There are personality clashes and disagreements. Sometimes we are just so set in our ways that we are in the way. Having the ability to recognize this is a gift from God given to those who want to see it and change it. It's like anything in our life. If we don't see it as a problem we won't change it.

Jesus handled offense REALLY well! (I like uses caps to express myself sometimes) There are three ways I see offense being handled in the Bible that really stick out to me.

1. First: He realized that there are times people will get offended and there is nothing you can do about it. An example to this would be when Jesus taught God's word and it contradicted the Pharisees traditions. The Pharisees at one point were so offended they walked away trying to figure out how to kill Jesus. This first way just about always walking in obedience to God's word.
2. Second: Jesus at times avoided offense. We don't have the complete story of every word Jesus said or every interaction He had with every person or even every miracle He did. But God made sure that at least one time it was recorded when Jesus was careful not to cause offense. Matthew 17:27 "However, we don’t want to offend them, so go down to the lake and throw in a line. Open the mouth of the first fish you catch, and you will find a large silver coin. Take it and pay the tax for both of us.”

There are times that we ought to just let things go that aren't causing harm or hurt to avoid causing harm or hurt. I think Romans 12 is a great chapter in the Bible to teach us how to treat each other, REALLY! READ IT! Examples:

1.  don't think of yourself more highly than you ought
2. don't just pretend to love others
3. take delight in honoring each other
4. always be eager to practice hospitality
5. don't think you know it all
6. do all that you can to live in peace with everyone (within the confines of God's word)
7. never take revenge, leave that to god
8.  conquer evil by doing good

Third: When it's not an issue of God's word and you cannot agree then just love each other anyway and part ways. It seems to me that there are times we may just have to agree to disagree and part in love. Meaning, not gossip or slander or put down the person we parted ways with but build up and maybe even endorse. I'll be honest and say I didn't do this very well when I was younger. If I was hurt or disagreed then I needed to talk about it which is wrong and I repent. If you are one of those people reading this that feel I may have done that to you than I am sorry and I am willing to apologize face to face. But in the future I have a plan to do it God's way and trust Him for the strength to carry it out. I can either burn bridges or build them and I would rather be a bridge builder. But like I said, sometimes it is just time to move on as Paul and Barnabas did. They disagreed as to whether the John Mark, Barnabas' nephew out to travel with them on their second journey. In fact the disagreement was so sharp that they parted ways. Was either of them right or wrong... doesn't say. You can read into it both ways and I would discourage that. If God thought there was a wrong way there I think He would have spelled it out for us. I believe the point to be that they parted ways and still loved each other which seems to me to be expressed later in the Bible.
So yes, there are times I can't help that someone will be offended, then there are times where the fault lies with me and I cannot blame anyone else because I didn't take the time to consider anyone but myself. But there is also that time when you just need to move on in love. Just always be careful to guard your heart and allow Christ to show His love through you. Even when the person has hurt or offended you.