No, that is not slang for sitting on the fence, being neither hot not cold, nor does it mean you are living on a fence, unless that fence is buried under your house….
Offence… That’s a strange word to many of us. We hear it and we think to ourselves, I don’t feel offended when someone says something about me that I don’t like, I just don’t like it.
Is there a difference ? I somedays also wonder. I mean if I don’t like something, I don’t like it…
But then it dawned on me. I don’t like brocolly, but I don’t get offended if someone does like it..
You see, there is quite a difference between “offence” and “don’t like”. I don’t like to take out the trash, but then later it builds up to quite a bit and then when someone visits and mentions the large accumulated volume of trash in the kitchen, I feel offended that in my own house, I need to be reminded of stuff ?
Let’s wait for a few minutes for everyone to return from outside after taking out the trash quick, then we look at this a bit more in detail.
In Philippians 1 verse 10 we read “That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and with out offence till the day of Christ”
Reading that verse, there are a few things that come to mind. “Approve things that are excellent”… How many days goes past in your life without telling your kids you are proud of them ? Are they not excellent in your life ? How many days goes past without us thanking our housekeepers? Are they not excellent is making our homes clean and tidy, ironing, taking out the rubbish, doing what we in time chose not to do due to the pressures of life and making money to survive ? How many days goes by without us looking in the mirror and seeing ourselves and admitting that we are excellent, I mean we are made in the image of our Father, HE is quite Perfect and Excellent as far as I know !
Its so easy to take offence rather.. Its so easy to take a normal conversation, twist it around a bit and then feel that we are the target of some hate and dislike, and then we feel offended.. It does not just stay there, we carry that offence with us where we go… We walk into a shop and when we don’t get thing going our way, we lose it, thinking about that morning when someone did something to us or said something to us that was so hurtful and bad, that we have to take it out on the cashier ?
Yeah we have all been there, done that, got the T-Shirt, and some went back for a jersey or jacket even ! Why ? Because we are vindictive and stupid? No, because we are human, free willed, free spirited humans, who react and respond to things around us, things that happen or do not happen.
Picture this…. Nice summer evening, you made plans to go out with your loved one, you have been looking forward to it the whole day, and then when you get home to shower and get ready for the big night out, your phone beeps and the message reads “ Sorry Sweety, going out with the guys at work for some team-building”, “We can go out tomorrow night to that place you like so much”. Don’t tell me you won’t be offended, because then you will probably be making up a story…
It happens in life, it happens to all of us, it happens more to some than others, depending on how tuned-in we are to things. Emotions play a big role in this… Understanding plays a bigger role and NOT understanding plays even a bigger role.
Offence is usually a silly misunderstanding that happens, that we try to analize and completely mis-enterpret and then act on that because we are right ? How many times have you heard someone telling your something and not really understand it but then made your own decision about what that person was saying or meaning, then later end up brewing over that comment that was made, that accusation that was made, that direct attack on our livelyhood ? Sound serious ? Its because it is usually so seriuos that once we have analized it that we never want to see that person again, or at least for a day or 2….
That’s called offence… Feeling offended by what someone said about you, or what you thought someone said about your, or something you thought someone should have said about you, making up your mind as you go along of how bad it must have been.
Imagine if Jesus took offence… Just think about that for a few seconds… He was beaten, thrown around, deprived of water and food, made-up to be a false prophet, made to be seen as crazy… Imagine if Jesus took offence when He had to carry His cross to the mountain…. Imagine if He took offence when the crown of thorns was beaten into His head. Imagine if He took offence when he was punished repeatedly with lashes and lashes and more lashes, ripping out the flesh from His body…
Folks, in all honesty, I don’t know if I would ever in my life be able to take that punishment from people, and then pray to God that He must PLEASE forgive them for they do not know what they are doing….
Offence…. A serious word, serious like in death… If Jesus got offended and decided that dying for our sins was not on His program that day, we would be off much worse that we are today !
So what can we do ? Do we ignore everyone that talks to us ? Do we stay at home and lock our doors and don’t answer our phones ? Do we make as if no one is home when the doorbell rings ? That would probably solve an issue for 5 minutes and then just elevate it. What we can do is to start listening to people. Listen to truth, listen to advice, listed to reason.
There are so many things in life that can offend us, because we are so focussed on success and growth and proving ourselves, that we forget about life happening around us.
Next time when someone tells you to slow down and enjoy nature a bit, maybe it’s a sincere word for you to just stop and look at what you are missing. Next time when someone tells you to tuck in your shirt, maybe its just a sincere word from someone that grew up in an era where it was just the right thing to do. Next time when someone tells you to pack the dishwasher, maybe see it a word of encouragement and care for you, not because you are the youngest or have any particular status in the house, maybe its just because one day you need to know how to do it on your own.
Let’s stop being offended when our parents tell us a story. Let’s stop being offended when we are told to do something in a different way. Let stop being offended if someone just speaks their minds… Remember one thing, the only thing that is certain, is uncertainty… We do not know what will happen tomorrow, or the day after, but we know that if we take offence, tomorrow and the day after is going to be so much less fun with us having to remember what that small thing was that upset us so badly that we had to forget about living….
The Bible has so much information available to us for everyday living… Yes Google is nice, but the Bible was there before Google and if we just follow the basic guidelines in the Bible, and some common sense, life would be so much more fun and easier !
Have a wonderful week and be blessed, and remember, you were so important that it was worth a LIFE long ago on the Cross. Don’t forget that, ever, the man that was hanging next to Jesus on his cross gave his life to Jesus right there and then, just before he died, and he went with Jesus to Paradise… Its never too late to make that change in your life, but it will be too late eventually – quite a cliché, I know… but if you think about it, you have time to change your life and to find the Truth and the Light, but what assurance do you have that by the time you finished reading this, you will still be breathing ? Don’t put it off, don’t wait till tomorrow, sort out your life NOW and from this moment, let offence be like water off a duck’s back. I’d rather be happy and free than be drowned with offence…
