This week, you and I both are bound to have situations come up that frustrate, irritate, confuse, hurt, and/or surprise us in an unwelcome way. It may be friends, co-workers, grocery store check-out workers, family members, teachers, fellow drivers on the raceways of Denver, bosses at work, or restaurant servers who cause us grief in some way, shape, or form. But, then, an hour or two or maybe a day later, it can be fascinating to step back and see how little it took for us to get offended in that moment, isn’t it?

Well, if ever there was a single best nugget of wisdom for the start of a work/school week, I believe it’s what the writer of Proverbs 19:11 said: “Good sense makes one slow to anger, and it is his glory to overlook an offense.” Are we slow to anger? Do we have good sense? How is overlooking an offense our glory? I encourage you to ponder these questions this week when your boss or co-worker mistreats you, when another driver cuts you off, when the chef or server completely botches your dinner order, or when any other situation comes up in which you feel like you were wronged. I believe you will start to realize that overlooking such offenses means that the rest of your day will likely be bright instead of sour. You will be much more likely to have a Christlike impact on that offending person’s life, instead of a cruel, biting, worldly drag on his or her soul. You will gain wisdom. You will learn to be more patient, considerate, and kind. You will understand the compassion of Christ.

Now, let’s be honest. Overlooking an offense is probably one of the toughest things for anyone to do, especially in this “me first” and justice-oriented society. Have you considered the potential effects on our faith (if we are not vigilant) from both of those? I know we often discuss the selfishness and materialism that are prevalent in the “me first” world around us. But, have you considered that our strong familiarity with the justice system in our country might, in some ways, negatively impact our faith? We are so conditioned to think (somewhat rightfully so) that those who do wrong, who offend, must pay for what they’ve done. But… These notions from the world around us fly directly in the face of the wisdom found in Proverbs. It is to our glory to overlook an offense. As you ponder this throughout the week, you might want to check out Hebrews 12:1-3 as well. I think it will help us fully grasp what the writer of Proverbs revealed.

Josiah Moore