it is to one's glory to overlook an offense."
Proverbs 19:11
When did it become acceptable to take offense at any and every situation under the sun? When did we decide that instead of calmly searching for logical answers or reasons for behavior, it was okay to just get offended and never deal with the situation? Are we so afraid of confrontation that we would rather hold bitterness, frustration, and anger in our hearts instead of dealing with a problem?
When I was a youth pastor, I remember talking to a couple of girls about friendship and how they really become strong. It's easy when everyone agrees, but what happens when there is a disagreement or even just a misunderstanding? If you are willing to work through that. . .then you will have a very strong friendship indeed. Over the years, I saw this with these two. They weren't afraid to disagree and work through issues and they developed an incredibly strong bond that I assume will last their whole lives.
When I get the "opportunity" to deal with tense situations, I find it amazingly strange how many times people don't want to bring light to an issue. Even within the body of Christ, we are tricked into thinking back channel talks with people who are affected by the situation are the best ways to gather information. . .really? This sounds incredibly manipulative and shady, and not at all like Jesus would deal with things.
I challenge all of you, along with myself, to deal with issues head on and not be afraid of the uncomfortableness. Yes, it may be stressful, but then it will be over with and you won't have to play all those scenarios out in your head for weeks on end. Who knows, you may experience just a little bit of heaven here on earth. . .
