My gym workouts are made bearable by three things: I know I need them, I go with my handsome hubby, and I watch podcasts that feed my spirit!

Today’s teaching came with a challenge*:

“Become unoffendable!”¹ 

Wow… Think about that for a bit.  I know it made me pause and process.

Our current American culture seems to be looking for offense around every rock and tree.  People of all ages and socioeconomic levels are embracing the tendency to be offended by any opinion that differs than their own.

As believers, we should be different, right?

Sadly, Christians have a well-deserved reputation of being easily offended.  We (and I use that word broadly) may find offense in how people dress, their political views, their colorful vocabulary, their opinions, and so on.

Conversely, Jesus was not offended… not by the poor, or by the demon-possessed, or by the coarse laborers, or by those caught in sin.  In fact, Jesus was not even offended by the doubters or the soldiers that nailed Him to the cross.

Jesus was and is the epitome of “Unoffendable!”

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation with a new friend and felt a real connection to them?  They like the same music as you, share the same tastes in food, and even have similar views on raising kids.  You think, “Wow, this is a great person. I hope we can hang out again!”  But then, a subject comes up that throws a wrench in that plan… a strong moral opinion, an opposing political view, a different stand on social topic, etc. and you emotionally slam on the brakes.  “Woah, I guess we are not as in sync a I imagined! I can’t believe they think that way.”  Thus begins an emotional withdrawal process because they are not as like us as we originally thought.

When we encounter people like ourselves, we feel validated.  Our human tendencies are to gravitate towards people who are similar to us.  We like when we see ourselves reflected in others!  However, we give ourselves permission to dislike or disassociate ourselves from people who are different than us.  We may even allow ourselves to dishonor people who do not share our beliefs or our way of life.  This is not the example that Jesus set for you and I.

{Caveat: There’s a difference between honoring people and allowing people authority in our lives.  It is not wise or healthy to allow just anyone the opportunity to speak into our lives.  However, we should honor all people as valuable.}

Consider Philippians 2:3-5 in the Passion Translation:

³ Be free from pride-filled opinions, for they will only harm your cherished unity. Don’t allow self-promotion to hide in your hearts, but in authentic humility put others first and view others as more important than yourselves. ⁴ Abandon every display of selfishness. Possess a greater concern for what matters to others instead of your own interests. ⁵ And consider the example that Jesus, the Anointed One, has set before us. Let his mindset become your motivation.

How easy it is for us, believers or not, to major on the minors!  As a friend recently said, “We tend to elevate the ways we are different instead of celebrating the ways we are the same.”²   Not only should we celebrate ways that we are the same, but we should choose to honor others in spite of or even because of our differences.  We don’t have to agree with others to appreciate who they are as a person. The beauty of diversity is the richness it brings to our sometimes ethnocentric lives.

WWJD is more than a slogan!  It is a reminder to us to think like Jesus thinks!  We as believers have the mind of Christ (I Corinthians 2:16) and the power of the Holy Spirit vibrating in us!  When we encounter people who believe differently than us, spout contrary opinions, or embrace a lifestyle contrary to our way of thinking, we can still choose to honor them and treat them with the love that the Heavenly Father carries in His heart for them.  We can choose to be unoffendable!

I’m convicted! I’m challenged!  How about you?

Live Loved,

¹Listen to Danny Silk’s complete teaching on being unoffendable here.

²James Dodzweit teaches on Church Unity here.

*Originally published by DiscoveringJoy.net on June 18th, 2018