Every child justifies their anger at some point by saying “But
he/she made me mad!”. The only
problem with this method of thinking is that it implies that you don’t have control
of your own emotions and that therefore, the emotions that you experience are
brought about by other people. While your emotions can certainly be influenced
by people, you are the one who ultimately has control over them.
One emotion that is often hard to control is the feeling of
being offended. But like all other emotions, I believe that it is a choice. You
can be offended by someone or something but it is up to you to decide how to react.
Dealing with offence is difficult, but I think that it is also one of the true
tests of our character.
In Matthew 11:6, Christ states that “blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me”. My personal interpretation of this is that
we are blessed when we make the choice to forgive our offenders. That is what
Christ would do and did do. Even when He was suffering on the cross and the
soldiers were jeering and mocking Him, He chose to forgive them. He chose not
to become angry or bitter or to mock them in return.
Christ is to be our example, and it is through emulating Him
that we better ourselves as well as our relationships with other people.
Forgiving and choosing not to be offended can be difficult, sometimes almost impossible,
but in order to follow Christ, that is what must be done. Ultimately, I believe
that when we are able to follow Christ’s example in this, we are happier. As a
result of not being dragged down by negative emotions. When we choose not to be
offended, we are truly blessed in so many ways and are able to come closer to
Christ.
Love,
Elicia
Love,
Elicia
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