We live in the age of offense where everyone seems to be easily offended by everything. As imperfect people, we are going to offend people and people are going to offend us. In the workplace, in friendships and at church, when you interact with others, you’re given the chance to not see eye to eye with someone. We all have different points of view. We all have different thicknesses of skin. We all have the choice to make room for someone to be human or to hold them to a state of perfection. In this current age, we’re holding imperfect people to a perfect standard when we don’t see eye to eye, and then we crush them when their imperfections show.
In Colossians 3:12, Paul is speaking to the people of God and tells them to clothe themselves in kindness, compassion, humility, gentleness and patience. I like the imagery of clothing yourself with these things. He’s saying, wrap up your imperfections and thin skin with these attributes. These are things that don’t come natural to all of us, but as believers we can adopt these attributes into our lives and learn to incorporate them into who we are. After he gives all of those attributes in one sentence, he makes a special note to add one more to the list. He says, “Be tolerant with one another and forgive one another whenever any of you has a complaint against someone else. You must forgive one another just as the Lord has forgiven you” (GNT).
Forgiveness is the act of releasing someone from something they’ve done to you that has offended or hurt you. As Christians, we must learn how not to have a chip on our shoulder looking for offenses and to learn how to make room for the faults in others. When we get offended, we need to release it. Unforgiveness truly hurts ourselves more than the other person. It can create a root of bitterness within us and affect every area of our life. It causes us to look for payback and to try to hurt the other person in some way. Forgiveness releases us of that burden and keeps our hearts pure before God. When we quit looking to be offended and when we release those who have offended us, we become more Christ-like.
Devotions by Chris Hendrix 
If we only realized that in forgiving others we ourselves find peace we would not hesitate to do it.
You’re right. Somehow we think we’re hurting them, but it’s truly ourselves who stay hurt.
🌹
Amen
Our Pastor was preaching how whe we sometimes have attitude outside of Church. But come in like we don’t.
That day 2 people gave me attitude before the service had started, I caught myself having attitude about that.
I prayed just before service started, and was at peace, forgiving those who offended me.
That’s how the enemy works.
Thank you Holy Spirit for guiding me!
Yes! If our enemy can get us divided, we will be too distracted to advance the Kingdom. If we live in a way that looks to over look faults first rather than to be offended, we will not give the enemy a foothold.