Learning How To Give Grace to Those Who Irritate Me

In review of Proverbs 19:11 it says, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense”

Bottom Line:

A wise person yields patience and overlooks offenses.

What this means to me:

It’s sensible for me to learn to control my temper, to be patient and to forgive / overlook others offenses against me.

Today’s verse comes from the book of Proverbs, which are quips or short bursts of wisdom. They can be strung together like a necklace of fine pearls. In this particular verse, it states how sensible it is for me to learn to control my temper, be patient and forgive others.

I’m learning that as I deal with people who are offensive or irritating, I need to look past the immediate behavior and imagine to the pain that may be behind it. Everything we do is always motivated by something. When people hurt others, it’s probably because they’re hurting on the inside. A hurt person will hurt others.

I believe that the more I can understand others backgrounds, the more grace I’ll be able to show them. It’s easier to cut someone some slack when you understand their background.

Today’s verse in Proverbs 19:11 say , “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (NIV). With wisdom, I won’t get offended because wisdom gives me patience. The more I understand somebody’s background, the more I’ll understand the stress that person may be under, making it easier to show grace. That in turn will give me patience to overlook the offense.

Scripture tells me in many ways that refusing to be offended by other people is actually an act of mature love. It shows me how much love I actually have in my heart. The more love I have, the harder it is to become offended.

The less love I have in my heart, the more insecure I’ll feel and the easier it will be to be offended. Proverbs 10:12 says, “Love overlooks the wrongs that others do” (CEV). The more I am filled with love, the less I’m going to be upset with others when they are demanding, demeaning or disapproving.

Therefore, the first step in dealing with difficult people is to make the choice and refuse being personally offended.

When I’m starting to feel offended, I ask the Holy Spirit to help remind to slow down, show patience and see what I can do to discover more about their background.