March 5, 2025 7:00 pm
When I entered my church after several months of quarantine, I was excited to see members I hadn't seen in a while. I realized that some members, especially older ones, just wouldn’t be back—some due to safety reasons and others, unfortunately, because they’d passed from this life. So I was quite excited when I spotted an older couple coming into the sanctuary and taking their normal seat behind me. I waved at them both. The man returned my greeting, while his wife stared at me without even smiling. I was hurt and wondered why.
It was a few Sundays later that I observed the same woman (who hadn’t returned my greeting) being helped by a friend who was showing her when to stand or sit—acting as her caregiver. My old church friend was apparently very sick and hadn’t recognized me. I'm glad I didn't approach her or even get upset when she didn't return my enthusiastic greeting.
Proverbs offers a lot of advice for living wisely, and not being easily offended is one of its gems. In fact, it says “sensible people . . . earn respect by overlooking wrongs” (19:11 nlt). Choosing not to get offended and learning to “control our temper” (v. 11 nlt) can bring us honor. It may require patience and “wisdom” (v. 8), but the rewards also are well-worth getting over ourselves and choosing to love others.
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Sensible people earn respect by overlooking wrongs. — Proverbs 19, verse 11 The one who cherishes understanding will soon prosper. A false witness will not go unpunished, and whoever pours out lies will perish. It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury. How much worse for a slave to rule over princes! A person's wisdom yields patience. It is to one's glory to overlook an offense. A king's rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.
A foolish child is a father's ruin, and a quarrelsome wife is like the constant dripping of a leaky roof. Not Easily Offended, written by Katerra Patton When I entered my church after several months of quarantine, I was excited to see members I hadn't seen in a while. I realized that some members, especially older ones, just wouldn't be back, some due to safety reasons and others unfortunately because they'd passed from this life. So I was quite excited when I spotted an older couple coming into the sanctuary and taking their normal seat behind me. I waved at them both. The man returned my greeting, while his wife stared at me without even smiling. I was hurt and wondered why. It was a few Sundays later that I observed the same woman who hadn't returned my greeting being helped by a friend who was showing her when to stand or sit, acting as her caregiver.
My old church friend was apparently very sick and hadn't recognized me. I'm glad I didn't approach her or even get upset when she didn't return my enthusiastic greeting. Proverbs offers a lot of advice for living wisely, and not being easily offended is one of its gems. In fact, it says sensible people earn respect by overlooking wrongs. Choosing not to get offended and learning to control our temper can bring us honor.
It may require patience and wisdom, but the rewards also are well worth getting over ourselves and choosing to love others. Let's pray. Lord, give us the wisdom to overlook offenses and the patience to control our temper, choosing love over anger and assuming the best of others. Help us to earn respect through humility and grace, reflecting your heart in all our interactions. Thank you, Lord. It's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen. As you go about your day, reflect on these questions. When were you offended by someone's actions? When is it the right thing to overlook an offense?
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-03-05 21:42:42 / 2025-03-05 21:44:06 / 1
