Easily Offended

Easily Offended

Proverbs 19:11(NIV)

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense .

We live in a world that is so easily offended.  People sit around looking and waiting to be offended by something.  They troll the internet and they listen intently at conversations looking for something to be offended about. On the side of every issue or topic, there's a party waiting to be offended by the other.

It's in our homes, in our schools, at our workplaces, and yes, even in our churches.  People offended.  If someone doesn't speak to me, or act friendly to me, I'm offended.  If someone doesn't invite me or ask me to do something, I'm offended.  The list is really endless of the things people get offended over and that's not even counting all the stuff going on in our culture and society today. 

There is a time and place to be offended.  We should be offended when sin. We should be offended if someone is done wrong or treated bad.  We should be offended if someone attacks God or His Church or His Word, but those aren't the things that usually offend us.  What offends us is usually selfish or self-centered things.  Our easily offended is usually because we are insecure, moody, angry, hurt, or have a bad or wrong attitude to begin with.  So, we are basically just a person sitting around waiting to be offended by something.  If you look for trouble, you'll find it every time.

My goal today is for us to understand that many times our "being offended" is not  because of the perpetrator, but a lot of times its us, because we have a wrong or bad attitude or underlying issues that cause us to be upset because we didn't get our way, we misunderstand something someone said, or we simply are overly emotional and sensitive and get our feelings hurt, or we're "looking" for things to be offended about. 

In my line of work, working in churches, I have had my share of dealing with the easily offended.  I'm not saying I don't put my foot in my mouth at times or make someone mad, Lord knows anyone who knows me knows I'm an expert at that, but people are offended because you don't ask them to do something, or you didn't invite them to something, or you didn't mention them from the pulpit, or you forgot to give them credit for something, etc...even though it may be because they have a wrong attitude or something else, I think we come to church or serve in the local church we need to never be "offended" because everything we are doing or a part of in the church should be for God and His glory and not our own in the first place.

I've never understood people getting upset, offended, or feelings hurt within the body of Christ? Why? Because everything we do is supposed to be for God and about God, so if our feelings are getting hurt or something is offending us, its because we're making it about us and not about God.  So, maybe we need to have some folks get the focus off themselves and back on God where it belongs?

Also, in the world, there are going to be legitimate things that offend us or go against our faith and convictions, but that doesn't give us a right to be mean, ugly, or hurtful towards those outside or inside of the church.  Whatever we do or say to defend God or His Word we need to do out of love and represent Him well in this world.

I think the best advice I can give anyone, is "Chill out!"  Stop being so easily offended by anything and everything.  Put your energy and focus on being the best person and child of God you can be and pick and choose your battles wisely and make sure your "offended" is legit and not because of your own ego, pride, feelings, failings, or sin.