Have you ever witnessed a great mediator at work? One of the best human mediators I’ve seen in action is my husband. He’s great at calming a storm in just about any kind of situation. Our family is blessed to have him as he can readily bring peace into intense situations brought on by offenses that happen (most often between brother and sister)!

When I’m the one offended, I’ve caught myself wanting to hold onto the offense, resisting the calm he intends to bring us to. It’s embarrassing to admit this to you, but I think it shows the disposition we all can have towards the Lord when we resist bringing Him into the offenses we might hold onto.

I like to say I’m not easy to offend. Generally, I will remain pretty peaceable in most situations (I do have my buttons, though)! I have to admit, even though I may walk away with a smile on my face, I’m as prone as any to replay an event in my mind or to question hidden meaning in words said, or to allow a wound to fester in my heart. And I see all around me that others struggle too.

We need to bring in The Mediator!

“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” – 1 Timothy 2:5-6

We’ve been given The Mediator, who brings calm to the stress of life offenses.

Offenses…something happens between us and another that we didn’t want to happen. We may cope by talking and thinking about it too much.

Sometimes these offenses are due to our distorted thinking and wrong assumptions. We may perceive an accident as an intentional hurt. We assume the worst of someone’s heart. We assume we know what their words meant. We refuse to let these things go. What wasn’t real, has now been turned on us by our own work and has truly hurt us.

Sometimes these offenses are real. Nothing describes some of the hardest of real and intentional offenses better than Proverbs 6:16-19:

“There are six things that the Lord hates,
    seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
    and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
    feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
    and one who sows discord among brothers.”

It makes me feel better to know that the Lord hates these things too!

Just as I feel a sense of entitlement for my anger, I realize that I am guilty too. C’mon, you have too, right? At least the haughty eyes!

So what’s the solution?

First, because we’ve been forgiven, we must forgive.

“Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” -Colossians 3:12-13

We should not only forgive others, but we should also allow God’s forgiveness over ourselves for our own offenses.

How do we do that for us and others?

We admit our struggle to the Lord, ask for help, meditate on scripture, speak forgiveness when the situation comes to mind, thank the Lord for His mercy, and trust that the Lord will change our hearts.

Forgiving the offender doesn’t mean that the offense didn’t matter or hurt. It just means that we choose not to carry around feelings of bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness and allow God to deal with the person and situation. We allow Him to be who He is in our situation…The Mediator.

In order to allow Jesus into the situation to mediate and deal with the person, we must trust Him. Aside from forgiveness, this is the cure for offenses. We must trust Jesus and also trust who we are in Him.

We have some great examples of trusting Jesus in scripture. When I think I’ve had a bad day, Paul is a great one to ponder…

“Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.” – 2 Corinthians 11:24-28

There have been times in life that I actually thought I came close to relating to how beaten up he may have felt. Yes-I have a great imagination! And in those moments, like Paul, the humbling nature of life’s hardest offenses, have taught me a little bit about God’s glorious, beautiful strength in our weakest moments.

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  – 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

I have so much more to learn and ways to grow in Christ in order to be able to say I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities.

Do you have any current offenses you’re holding onto? Join me as I admit mine to Jesus, ask for his help, meditate on scripture, speak forgiveness, thank God for His mercy, and trust Him to change my heart.

Want more on turning from wasteland thinking to graceland thinking?

Get a free coaching course on transforming the mind with God’s Word here:

[button link=”https://forms.aweber.com/form/93/1919978793.htm” type=”icon”] Wasteland to Graceland Newsletter[/button]

Linking up this week wtih these awesome bloggers!