Have you ever thought about the phrase to “take offense”? What does it mean? Usually it’s something said or done to us that causes an outrage of our senses…with hurt feelings of being attacked, insulted, and the big one now a days -disrespected. But if we look at those two words – take offense – it means that we have the choice to react & response, or not, to the perceived insult. For what happens when we choose to be offended is that we will be hearing but not listening…we will assume things that weren’t actually said…and we will read & respond to body language, not to the words spoken by the other person. To overlook or cover over an offense means to forgive in that moment and choose not to take offense. The choice is ours whether we take the bait or not, but the outcome can be disastrous…as Proverbs 18:19 points out, “An offended brother is more unyielding than a fortified city, and disputes are like the barred gates of a citadel.”
Safetypinlove 