The Grudge

In today’s culture, it's easy to take offense. In fact, culture seems almost to encourage offense. The amount of hatred and division we see in our world spills over into our communities, families, and churches. Jesus said in Luke 17:1, “It is impossible that offenses will come.”

We live in an easily offended society. On social media, you see people who are offended and others who constantly offend. We get upset by the way people drive, what they say, and what they do. It's hard to go through life without feeling offended. So, what’s the answer? LOVE.

Proverbs 19:11 states, “It is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” There is a gap between the offense and your response. A gap, a small time frame in between the time that someone does or says something and the moment that you take action.

Proverbs 10:12 says that hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers all wrongs. Usually, we fill the gap with our interpretation of someone's actions, trying to understand their intent. The problem is that we are poor interpreters. We often misinterpret words and actions, which can lead to misunderstandings, hurt feelings, bitterness, and unforgiveness.

We blame external circumstances for our actions: "I was having a bad day," "I didn't feel good," etc. However, when someone else does the same thing, it's their character; they are bad people, rude, insensitive, or just a jerk.

What if we paused to consider the other person? What if we extended them the benefit of the doubt because of your love? We need to remember that God did the same for us. He didn't punish us for our sins; he didn’t give us what we deserved; instead, he showed us his love through GRACE.

Ephesians 4:2 tells us to be completely humble and gentle, to be patient, and to bear with one another in love. What if we filled the gap with love instead of hatred? What if we overlooked the minor offenses that come our way? We rise above them because we have a higher calling.

Let’s cut each other some slack. Stop letting minor issues offend us and divide our communities, families, and churches. Let's fill the gap with LOVE.