Lord, Help Me Not To...Sýnishorn

DAY 1
LORD, HELP ME NOT TO SLAP HER!

One day I went to order my normal drink from a local coffee place. When I got to the counter, there was a plexi-glass shield between me and the cashier, and we were both wearing face masks. She asked, “May I have your order?” I instinctively pulled down my mask to reply when she snapped at me, “Put your mask back up.” She then said in a less than friendly tone, “Just use your outdoor voice.” I thought to myself, “God help me not to slap her face with this shield.” I swear, I was ready to punch somebody. I haven’t been told to use my outdoor voice since I was a little kid. Can you imagine, as a grown adult, being treated like a child? I pleaded with God, “Please make sure no one recognizes me or my name.” I had never felt more rejected then at that moment. It took me a minute to recognize the feeling, but I was… OFFENDED!

Can I be completely honest with you? I hardly ever get offended. Maybe it has to do with my Chinese upbringing. Maybe it has to do with the thick skin I’ve built over the years. Who knows! But it’s true. It takes a lot for me to get offended. Lately though, I’ve found myself getting more offended than ever before! In the times we’re living in right now, everyone is on edge. And if you’re a little like me, maybe you’ve been getting more offended than ever before too.

When I think about what’s happening in the world, there’s more division than ever! You can feel anger and animosity in the atmosphere. If there’s anything the enemy would love right now is for believers to turn on one another because of hurt and offense. The enemy may be working hard to create division in our relationships, but I believe if we can learn to overcome the spirit of offense, we can forge stronger, healthier relationships in all areas of our lives… and it might just help us not to slap anyone in the face!

I’m kidding, I promise!

So, what exactly is offense? Offense is anger, resentment, irritation, exasperation, annoyance, animosity… need I say more? A spirit of offense is feeling resentment because of an actual or perceived insult. Sometimes offense is caused by an actual insult and other times it is caused by an unintended slight that we misinterpret. Regardless of intent or not, we still have to deal with the issue of our hurt feelings. Offense left unchecked will consume our thought-life and affect our ability to walk out our God-given potential.

The problem with offense is that it steals all unity. While offense is bound to happen, God calls us, at all costs, to live in unity with one another.

I want to encourage you over the next 7 days to journey with me as we tackle what causes offense, and what we can spiritually do about it!