Offended by nothing

So, this is a little tangent off of my study into little known books. I'm still doing it, but something that the Lord has really been placing on my heart lately is a quote that aruably the wisest woman I know said. This woman, Mrs. Farris, has been like a grandmother to me since all my grandmothers passed away by the time I was 13. Every week after church, she wants to know all about my life and how my week has been. I always know that once the service ends, I will see her beautifully dyed bright red hair walk the three or so rows back to come see me (yay for having our assigned pew at church!) She always tells me she's so proud of me, and has the biggest heart for people I have ever seen. I look forward to going back to my home church for many reasons, but one of the biggest reasons is I know Mrs. Farris will be there with open arms and a listening ear.

Now, to her profound statement:
"What if we just never took offense to anything anybody said to us or about us?"
W-O-W! This is huge! It may seem simple on the surface, but it could seriously change our world. I know it has definitely started to change mine! Really though, what good does being offended do? It only hurts you and causes you pain while causing anger toward another person. On top of that, how many times do we feel offended, and find out later that the person didn't mean it the way we took it? How many girly cat fights would cease? How much happier could our lives be? I know lately I have consciously been making the effort to stop myself when I feel offended by something. It has really allowed me not only to feel less ill-will towards others, but really helped me put myself in the shoes of others. Even if someone did mean to offend you, why did they say that? Is there something going on in their life that has hurt them and caused them to feel anger towards you? Honestly, offense is such a viscious cycle. One person is hurt by something someone else said, so then they go hurt someone else, and so on and so forth. I say let's put a stop to it. There is absolutely no reason to be offended. It does no good!

And honestly, if we look at our Father, if He took offense to every time we hurt Him by sinning, He would be a sad, sad God. I mean, after all, He didn't even take offense to being killed on a cross, but knew the killers' motivation behind it and saw their sinful hearts. If we're truly seeking to look more like Christ, I think especially as a girl, not taking offense to things, could be a huge step. Don't get me wrong. It's not easy, but it is so freeing not to have grudges against people or be mad at them. I know I'm gonna take a stand against this one hurtful word at a time.

Hey God! Give me your eyes to see the hearts of people, so that I will not take offense to anything. Let me love them like you love them!