Don’t Be Easily Offended

“His heart was like a sensitive plant, that opens for a moment in the sunshine, but curls up and shrinks into itself at the slightest touch of the finger, or the lightest breath of wind.”

—ANNE BRONTË

Understand [this], my beloved brethren. Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and to get angry.

—James 1:19

A wise person ignores an insult. I once heard a story about Kathryn Kuhlman, a woman with a very wonderful miracle ministry. Anyone in the public eye will inevitably deal with people who judge, criticize, and even say and publish things about them that are not true. This happened to Miss Kuhlman frequently, but she refused to get offended because she knew it would be harmful to her relationship with God. She also realized taking and holding on to offense would steal her joy and would not do her any good at all.

God promises to be our vindicator if we will do things His way, and His way is to forgive. People often asked Miss Kuhlman how she could be friendly with people who said such ugly things about her and she responded by saying, “Oh, we are just going to pretend that never happened.”

Has someone hurt your feelings recently? Are you offended? Do you need to forgive someone?

If your answer to any of these questions is yes, then I highly recommend you do what the Bible says to do. Pray for your enemies, bless, and do not curse them. Make a decision to forgive and trust God to heal your wounded emotions. If you see the person who hurt you, do your best to be friendly and treat them the way you honestly believe God would. The quicker you forgive, the less likely you are to get a root of bitterness in your heart, and the simpler your life will be.