Are you offended easily? I have found that being offended mostly hurts me. But I have more peace when I extend grace to the other person and forgive quickly, not allowing myself to take it personally. This takes effort and a lot of prayer, but it is worth it.
When someone mistreats us, it reveals their internal struggles rather than being a personal attack. Whether it’s a stranger or someone we love, taking a step back and pausing before reacting is essential. It’s natural to feel offended, but it requires strength and God’s guidance to restrain ourselves, forgive, and extend grace to others who may be going through difficult times.
That doesn’t excuse their bad behavior, but it keeps us from mirroring it and adding fuel to the flame with our bad reactions. It brings peace and a sense of freedom to pause before reacting, forgive quickly, and move on. A simple whisper and prayer to intentionally take every thought captive (2 Cor. 10:5) and be conscious of each word that comes out of our mouths will save heartache and strife from reacting out of our emotions. Anytime our egos are triggered, we are Edging God Out of the equation. This is precisely what the enemy desires – for us to become self-focused and harbor resentment toward others.
We are called to love everyone, even our enemies (Matt. 5:44). Jesus said God’s common grace is shown to everyone. “For he makes his sun rise on the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust” (Matt. 5:45, emphasis added).
God’s grace extends to all His creatures, even those who do not believe. These blessings guide unbelievers toward repentance (Acts 14:17; Romans 2:4). While God abhors evil and does not condone the wicked, His blessings are His primary means of provision for humanity in the present moment.
Jesus’ disciples are called to imitate God by loving neighbor and enemy alike (Matt. 5:44). This leads us to another verse, where Jesus admonishes his disciples to be perfect, as our heavenly Father is perfect (V48). In this sense, the word ‘perfect’ means complete or mature. As Christ-followers, we are called to pursue perfection or spiritual maturity by living according to Scripture.
By showing love and grace to everyone – in all circumstances – we are achieving a level of perfection only attainable through Christ, who showered His love and grace on us first. As Roxanne Parks explains, we give away God’s gift to us – grace.
Our goal is to help each other reach completeness. It is not an individual accomplishment. Although we are to strive toward perfection daily, it will not be fully known until we reach heaven (Brand, 1245). While waiting, why not treat each other with kindness and love? Endeavoring for spiritual maturity is a daily choice. None of us are perfect; even as we attempt to achieve it, an abundance of grace is needed in all our relationships.
Love trusts in the best intentions of others and hopes for their success (I Cor. 13:7).
“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense” (Proverbs 19:11, ESV, Emphasis added).
Faith Walk Ministries, Inc. 