Uggh! People. Sometimes they can be a real burr under my saddle. Personal offense from some direction is commonplace. And, we have a choice as to how to handle it; (1) use such as a stepping stone upward by showing forgiveness and grace, or, (2) allow it to fester in our minds until it buries us in negative obsession. We have a choice.
The lower nature about us wants revenge, due retribution, and payback. But before we run off assured that such is deserved, let us rethink just a bit.
God is very clear that how we deal with people's offenses is how He will deal with ours. If we choose to display mercy by forgiving; such is the case toward us from Him. If not? Well then, not. We choose. This needs to be taken very seriously.
What happens is that we have an amazing dodging skill to excuse our own violations as understandable while being very cut-n-dried critical of others. We possess an innate ability to find whatever sin ours happens to be as lesser than some of the others. The fact that we wouldn't commit adultery or slice a person's throat seems so much more vile than killing a person's reputation by our gossip about them. All three are deemed intensely sinful.
So what we are to do when finding ourselves highly offended is to take a step back by realizing that we, too, offend others....many times along the way. We do. We don't think we do; but we are human beings which hurt, offend, neglect, and ignore those around us day by day.
Sins are not to be excused. Such isn't the goal of this post. It is that our own sins are to be recognized with the same intensity with which we seem to freely criticize others. It isn't that we should quit calling sin sin. It's that we should discontinue our personal chatters about others as if we are not guilty of the same.
Jesus died on the cross...for every person...remember? This will change many of our conversations about all others.
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