Do you know the difference between being wounded or offended? Between the two, sometimes it can be hard to distinguish.
My son Matt had a wound on his leg that just wouldn't heal. It would start to close up and then it would reopen. We kept that wound covered when we were out and about. That wound was covered and hidden. It was years of wound care, extreme pain and sepsis 3 times. That was an extreme physical wound.
We can also be wounded emotionally. A deep hurt that we hide and cover up. We may even feel embarrassed from the wound we have. Being deeply wounded usually comes from someone close to us. We normal will not want to tell many of this hurt.
Now being offended is an inconvenience. You may need a band-aid or perhaps stitches. This will heal and you may have a scar, however, the pain fades.
We sometimes bring up those scars to prove a point of what we have experienced.
When we are offended we want everyone to know just how hurt we were. Just like those old wounds we want to share those stories.
Just like the story of misery loves company.
Being offended can make you bitter and resentful. You have been insulted.
Being wounded can damage you, disable you and harm you.
Being offended or wounded is what we feel. It is our response to something that has happened to us.
The person that has done this to us is the Offender. The guilty one, troublemaker, wrongdoer, manipulator and culprit.
The person or situation that makes us feel this way is wrong. How we respond is a reflection of our morals.
Our feelings and emotions get messy....real messy.
Take time to breathe and not speak out of an offended heart.
If you have been wounded, please talk to someone trustworthy. Do not let others actions and words devour you. Remove the power over you. Speak the name of Jesus over those emotional wounds. I know it hurts, and when the words are hard to vocalize....
Just say Jesus.
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