Proverbs 3:29-30
Plot no evil against your neighbor, against one who lives at peace with you.
Quarrel not with a man without cause, with one who has done you no harm.
"Sticks and stones can break my bones but words can never hurt me." Most of us probably learned this phrase around Kindergarten. I'm probably going to step on some politically correct toes when I say this... but when did we stop believing this? I'm not saying we should allow bullying, or let people go around putting each other down for no reason. But it seems to me like our collective skin has become pretty thin. Anytime someone posts or says something that we don't agree with we treat it as a personal attack on us. Just because someone does not hold the same convictions as you does not mean they are out to get you.
As Christians God is calling us to have a little thicker skin. The first step to having thicker skin is giving people the benefit of the doubt. These verses in Proverbs give us a good blueprint for behaving as Christians and being a little less offended all the time. I'm not proposing that we should not be advocates for social justice. When we see true injustice in the world God calls us to action for those who are oppressed. But someone having a difference of opinion from us is not a social justice issue. So our challenge today is to view the world through a lense of grace and believe that most of the posts we see on social media are not designed to personally offend us.
