“A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.”–Proverbs 19:11
Do you ever get your feelings hurt? Do people say things to you that your mother taught you to never say? What about when you are attacked for trying to do the ‘right thing’? And how about feeling Rejection, yes, with a capital R?
I have experienced all these things. And I am sure most of you have as well. It is simply a part of life, and can either make us or break us, if we choose to let it.
We have a choice to make. We can take the wisdom from Proverbs 19:11 and apply it to our lives in these situations. Or we can cave in, to the hurts and humiliations, the barbs and the hits, and live with a spirit of fear, with depression, with hopelessness, and the everpresent mindset of failure.
God tells us in Psalm 91 of His great love for His own, and how we are always under His wing of protection. This protection is not only from bodily harm, but speaks to our minds, hearts, and souls as well. These things are promises from God. And what He promises, He will deliver. But again, we must have trust, faith, and hope in Him to see those promises in our own lives.
Forgiveness is a necessity in this life for us. And forgiveness is usually something that evolves from some kind of offense, on either our part, or on someone else’s. Either way, we know what we are supposed to do by God’s standard. Jesus said it succintly…that if we will not forgive others, then He will not be able to forgive us. And He wants to do that more than anything.
So, we have excellent guidance from God on this matter. All we have to do is heed it, right? Not so fast now!
Hurt is hurt. It can invade the deepest part of our being and make us feel not only unworthy, but less than. It can change how we view ourselves, our abilities, and our actions. We can easily lose faith that we can be of use to anybody, much less to God. And we certainly will not feel like we are capable of showing or sharing Jesus with even our dog, let alone another human soul.
But, oh, when we embrace the words of Jesus, and the words and actions of the Father, how worthy we suddenly become! He empowers us. He gives us determination. He blesses us with wisdom and with a spirit man/woman full of energy and excitement for living, walking, speaking on His behalf. And His love will massage our hurting hearts with a touch of light that only His hand can administer.
Let the next offense you bear roll off of your shoulders. Let it not take root in your mind, and in the spirit of forgiveness, show love to the one who brought that ugliness to you. Treat it as an opportunity presented to you to do your Father’s will, whatever the situation, whatever the cause.
Sometime’s an offense is an expression of that other person’s own sense of rejection, again with that capital R, and it is a way for them to ‘think’ they are making themselves feel better. We should be the one’s making them feel, and be, better, by showering them with the love of Jesus Christ. And what a boon to our own hearts and souls as we do so. Amen!
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