Be Slow To Offend

Good Morning!! One key to controlling our temper, is to have realistic expectations of others. No one is always wrong,...or right, all of the time. It is wrong to expect others to always be happy and helpful. None of us can be "up" all the time. We all have times that we are sick, stressed or just plain tired. And, right or wrong, these things do affect our moods. We need to remember that other people are affected by these same things. They may have reasons for their seemingly rude or insensitive behavior.

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.—Proverbs 19:11 (NIV)

Let's try to avoid getting offended whenever people don't respond or act the way we think they should. They might just be having a bad day. We also need to remember that everyone and everything, does not just exist for our convenience or purpose. We will control anger better if we don't say things like "I can't stand this …" or "They better never …" These statements lock us into emotionalizing rather than thinking.

Don't let everything bother you to the point that you "lose it" over other people's behavior. Show other people the same kind of understanding, we'd like to have on our challenging days.

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Holy Spirit, help us not to expect others to be perfect or to always do things our way. Move us to be more willing to overlook offenses,...to see people's hearts, and be sensitive to their needs. In the name of Jesus, Amen.

" Instead of being set apart to God, many so-called Christians have become too comfortable in our society, or simply doing as the world does."