Saturday, October 31, 2009
Offended
So recently I witnessed a situation occur at church that really offended me. I felt like one party involved was really inappropriate. It really depressed me. I took it fairly personally, even though it was not directed at me. It involved adults, just so you all don't think that I am talking of teenagers. I have not really resolved it yet and as I thought more about it last night it came to tears. Certainly this past week has been hard and with everything else going on I'm sure that part of my despair is in fact due to other circumstances. I began thinking of ways to control the situation so that I do not end up hurt again. As I thought about what had happened I began to rationalize that this ward is not really my home ward. It is my student ward, so really not mine at all. Just a temporary place for me to be. I thought if I stop going to the less mandatory activities that there would be less chance of offense. You can see where this train of thought is headed. But as I followed this stream of thought it lead to me to my testimony. I love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ much more than I feel offended. I can get over my offense in order to maintain my promises and obligations to the Lord. Really that is what gets me up and motivated to chase down 2 little kids and force them into church appropriate attire every Sunday. That is what prompts me to continue to read scriptures to my daughter who tries to pretend to fall asleep, walk on the wall, sing at the top of her lungs or otherwise thwart my spiritual attempts every night. It is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and our loving Heavenly Father that pulls me through temptation and trial alike. I'm certain that it will pull me through this one too.
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4 comments:
I agree, you can always overcome offensive behavior of others. Usually it comes from that closeness to your heavenly father to begin with. Christ chose not to be offended and was able to overcome all. Your personal religion is just that, personal, nothing should come between you and that relationship you have with your father in heaven.
Well said Ben. Biffy, I hope it gets better soon.
Hi! I'm just now catching up on my blog-reading glut, so forgive me... Going to bunch all my comments into one.
Re: Pattersons Farm---I haven't seen a pic of you in a while and I must say I am so envious that you look that good after having two kids! My body has not survived it as well as yours. :)
Re: Josh's weight problems---I just wanted to say that I can empathize with you. Ethan is currently in the 0.6% for his weight (which is actually slightly up from 0%, so it's a victory!) Childhood weight problems are so frustrating because it feels like it's something you should be able to handle, but it is also a little bit out of your control. I know it has been a major source of stress for me. For your sake, I hope that your new diet helps Josh so that things can start to get back to normal! I feel for ya!
Re: Being Offended---As one who is liberal minded and a self-proclaimed critical thinker, I find that I am often tempted to get offended by members of the church if I let myself. Perhaps more frequently, I sometimes find myself adopting an inward air of condescension towards my fellow ward members.
One day when I was feeling particularly scornful, I felt the Spirit whisper to me about the importance of charity. We are all so deeply flawed in our own way and that many of us are in different stages of spiritual development. It's tempting to look down on those who are still childish (from a spiritual standpoint) or who are flawed in other ways. But I try to keep a prayer in my heart to see them as Christ sees them. I imagine He is fully aware of our sins and He doesn't simply ignore or disregard those flaws, but He also looks at us with a deep sense of love and hope---knowing who we have the potential to become one day with His guidance. It helps to put things in perspective, I think. And that helps me get through my darker days...
Hey Alyssa, Thanks for your comments. Childhood weight problems can really take a hit on your self esteem. Your little guys always look healthy in their pictures. I never knew that they were small. I also appreciate your comments about being offended. It helped.
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