offense is annoyance or resentment brought about by a perceived insult to or disregard for oneself. In our daily lives we can be offended many times. Whether intentional or unintentional the bible says in Proverbs 17:9 “that he who covers and forgives an offense seeks love” But that doesn’t mean that it’s easy to cover and forgive an offense. in this blog I will give practical advice on how to cover and forgive an offense.
Step 1
When an offense happens the first thing we need to do is an assesment of the situation. It is always important to start with yourself because that is the only thing you can control. What someone else does is completely out of your control. So the first step will be to ask yourself “what did I do to wrong in this situation?” I need you to honestly asses the situation with the help of the Holy Spirit. He will guide you, help you and answer you. The answer will be either ” yes, I did something wrong” or “no, I did nothing wrong.” Step 2 will tell you what to do in either situation.
Step 2
If you are wrong: correct the wrong immediately you discover it. Never feel too big or proud to correct your wrong. Regardless if the other party wants to accept it or not. Do your part and give them time and space for them to be able to forgive you. It can take some people longer to trust and rely on you again depending on the situation that happened. Pray and ask the Lord to lead in whatever strategy you need to use to correct your wrong.
If you are not wrong: asses the person who offended you. Determine whether it’s worth reacting upon by looking at the level of your relationship. It would be wise to let an offense done by a stranger go. Because the person does not have an affect on you like a close friend or family. It is someone you will probably never see again. with a close friend or family it’s a different case. They are closer and have a deeper connection with you that may affect you deeper. In the last step I will cover what to do in the case of a close relationship.
Step 3
In the case of a close family or friend: I still believe that there are certain offenses that we can let go when it comes to a close family or friend. But now the question is “What offense do we let go? and which ones should we have a loving communication with boundaries and consequences?.” If the offense is not a threat\danger to your relationship with God, fulfillment of your purpose or self-care (mentally aswell as physically), I believe you can let the offense go. It is not important to react upon it then. because it is not important enough if it does not affect God, Purpose and Self-care.
Conclusion
In everything you do inquire of the Holy spirit first. He will give you guidance through the word of God. Sometimes we may completely see a situation from a wrong angle. The Spirit will show you the right angle through the word of God. He will guide you every step of the way. These tips are not a one size fits all. But it is just to get you started somewhere.
Regardless of what was done and what has happened the goal is to Cover and Forgive the offense. We should be able to do this when we look at the love God has for us. He forgives our offenses towards him and he orders us to love our neigbor as ourselves, because he showed us his love when we didn’t deserve it. So, if God forgives us we should be able to forgive our neigbors as well and love them regardless of what has happened. It is not easy, but it can be done through the strength of Christ.