A man's wisdom gives
him patience;
it is to his glory
to overlook an offense.
~Proverbs 19:11
Overlooking offenses. Who does that? It seems so incredibly counter-intuitive.
True confession: I have absolutely failed at overlooking anything the past couple weeks. If you looked at me wrong, I probably got offended. There are several reasons for this and lots of excuses, but I know it's true. Some things are much harder to overlook than others. Things that hurt our ego, things that touch too close to an already sensitive area, things that make us afraid. General human wisdom advises to get even when wronged. Godly wisdom advises to show grace. [Note: This is not the same as letting people abuse or harm you]. There are many times when I feel offended and am dying to let someone know about it, but I feel God saying, "Grace, show them grace." The hot burn of my anger fades, and I began to feel compassion. And the ability to overlook whatever offense seemed so grievous just a moment before. I gain perspective. And in that perspective comes glory. My take home point: The Christian brings glory to himself and God by showing grace when offended.
him patience;
it is to his glory
to overlook an offense.
~Proverbs 19:11
Overlooking offenses. Who does that? It seems so incredibly counter-intuitive.
True confession: I have absolutely failed at overlooking anything the past couple weeks. If you looked at me wrong, I probably got offended. There are several reasons for this and lots of excuses, but I know it's true. Some things are much harder to overlook than others. Things that hurt our ego, things that touch too close to an already sensitive area, things that make us afraid. General human wisdom advises to get even when wronged. Godly wisdom advises to show grace. [Note: This is not the same as letting people abuse or harm you]. There are many times when I feel offended and am dying to let someone know about it, but I feel God saying, "Grace, show them grace." The hot burn of my anger fades, and I began to feel compassion. And the ability to overlook whatever offense seemed so grievous just a moment before. I gain perspective. And in that perspective comes glory. My take home point: The Christian brings glory to himself and God by showing grace when offended.
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