Wednesday’s Thought — It is to Your Glory to Overlook an Offense

“Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Proverbs 19:11

When I was reading through verses on anger a few years ago, this verse really stood out to me. It is so counter to the messages that we receive from culture. Our culture tells us that if someone offends you, you should be angry and you should do something about it. All you have to do is drive on a road for 10 minutes to see this or read comments to an article or post on facebook. There is a sense that if we are wronged, we should stand up and say so, fight for our position and for our “honor.” But here, God is saying quite the opposite. He is saying that it is to our glory not to prove that we are right or to prove that the other person is wrong, but it is to our glory to overlook the offense all together.

I have had a lot of practice with this verse over the last year because I have a child who tends to be easily offended. She has memorized this verse and has ample opportunities to repeat it and try to put it into practice daily. But, as I’ve walked this issue with her, I’ve noticed that it isn’t just her–it’s me also. When a child is behaving in a way that I don’t like, I’m tempted to take it as a personal offense. Or when no one says thank you for the food I’ve spent an hour cooking, I start feeling offended. I could give you many examples, but I’m sure if you think on it, you can also come up with your own. Now, I get that there are some child training things involved here and of course I should teach the children to say thank you–but the difference is in the heart of the correction. Instead of correcting them because I feel offended or am frustrated with their behavior, I can truly correct them because I want to teach them to do right. I do not need to be offended by these things, I can overlook the offense and move on with a joyful heart.

And let us not forget the beginning of this verse– good sense makes one slow to anger. When we feel angry often all logic and sense is thrown out the window. We need to hold on to that good sense, slow down and take a deep breath. Our good sense will make us slow to anger.