Love Will Overlook Offenses

In Proverbs 19:11 I read, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.” (NIV)

When dealing with people who are offensive or irritating, learn to look past the behavior to the pain.

Everything we do is motivated by something. When people hurt others, it’s because they’re hurting on the inside. Hurt people will hurt people.

The more I understand about other people’s backgrounds, the more grace I’ll show them. Think of a person I find to be difficult or irritating. I probably know nothing about their background, so I don’t cut them any slack.

I don’t know that perhaps they lost their parents at a young age. I don’t know that maybe they were molested. I don’t know that they’ve gone through two marriages and their spouse just walked out on them. I don’t know their story, and that’s part of why I’m not showing them any grace.

The Bible says in Proverbs 19:11, “A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense” (NIV). It’s easy to take offense from people I find difficult. But if I’m wise, I won’t get easily offended. Why? Because wisdom gives me patience.

When I patiently take the time to understand someone’s background, I understand the stress they’re under, and it’s easier to show grace. My understanding gives me patience to overlook the offense.

This is real love. In fact, the Bible says refusing to be offended by other people is actually an act of mature love. The more love I have in my heart, the harder it is for someone to personally offend me. The less love I have in my heart, the more insecure I feel and the easier it is to be offended.

Proverbs 10:12 says, “Love overlooks the wrongs that others do” (CEV). The more I’m filled with love, the less I’ll be upset when people are demanding, demeaning, or disapproving.

So when I encounter a difficult person, remember to: Look past the behavior to the pain. Then refuse to be offended and, instead, respond in love.

In summary, a person’s wisdom will yield patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. When dealing with people who are offensive or irritating, I need to learn to look past the behavior to the pain. Everything we do is motivated by something. When people hurt others, it’s because they’re hurting on the inside. The more I understand about other people’s backgrounds, the more grace I’ll be able to show them. Think of a person I find to be difficult or irritating. I probably know nothing about their background, so I don’t cut them any slack. I don’t know their story, and that’s part of why I’m not showing them any grace. It’s easy to take offense from people I find difficult. But if I’m wise, I won’t get easily offended, because wisdom gives me patience. When I patiently take the time to understand someone’s background, I understand the stress they’re under, and it’s easier to show grace. My understanding gives me patience to overlook the offense. This is real love. The Bible says refusing to be offended by others is actually an act of mature love. So when I encounter a difficult person, I need to remember to look past the behavior to the pain. Then refuse to be offended and, instead, respond in love.

Father, I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. I want to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. Father, I ask you to help me be sensible in controlling my temper. Help me to see past someone’s behavior and see the pain so that I can cut them slack or help in some way. 

I ask for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for my new future job, and finishing well in my old one. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, Amen.