To My Facebook Friends

To My Facebook Brothers and Sisters in Christ….

We are so easily offended. So-o-o-o easily. Why is that?

Many years ago I accompanied a friend who was preaching to a small crowd about a two hour drive. It was a good message and on the way home I told him so. “That was a good talk.” He was so-o-o-o offended. “Good talk!? I preached my heart out and all you got to say is it was a good talk?!”

A friend once suggested I accompany him on a trip to a distant country where he was invited to teach/preach. This would be about his twelfth return, and he felt I would be supportive if I assisted him in his travels. I was so-o-o-o offended. He never hinted we were to share the teaching responsibilities. Oh, no; I was to be his tagalong, someone to help with the baggage. Yes, so-o-o-o offended.

A cashier at a local grocery store asked me if a particular fruit was a plum or a nectarine, as both looked much the same. “Nectarine”, I replied. She then picked up bananas to weigh them. “Those are bananas”, I said. (Dumb, I know.) At first I thought she would laugh, as it was intended to be funny, but no, she was so-o-o-o offended. And I could tell she stayed offended and unforgiving for a couple of years!

Because we are so-o-o-o easily offended, we are cautious not to say anything that could be misconstrued or considered contrary. We will even pretend to agree when we don’t, anything to avoid offence. People call Pastor Whoever “Pastor” because of fear to offend. Get along, agree, be compatible…. that’s the evangelical way.

Jesus was often angered, but never offended. Adversely, the pharisees were often insulted. Is it the pharisee in us that causes us to be offended? Is taking offence a certain indication of spiritual flaws? Does being offended reveal hypocrisy?

Being at war with religion (Christ’s chief competitor) has caused me to offend multitudes over the span of decades. Touching one’s religion is touching his/her god.

Offences are nasty things. Offences beget grudges…. grudges, if unrepented, will devalue our relationship with Jesus…. an inferior relationship makes us more vulnerable to offences. Around and around we go.

The antidote: repentance.