Being offended is something that we all go through whether it be a big thing or a little thing. We all know what it feels like to hear something we don’t like that someone may say that hurts us. For example, many less-active members of the church are offended by many things and don’t come back to church but what is the thing we can do to prevent this from happening in our lives? Something that Elder Bednar said was, “As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation.” We have the option to act or be acted upon so what will we do when someone says something bad about us? I believe that we can turn our cheeks and let it slide.
Our responsibility is to forgive all and offensive remarks a lot of the time aren’t easy to forget, hence making it hard to forgive and forget. It is possible to receive personal spiritual strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ and having a firm testimony of the restored gospel. The church is not perfect and is a place for us to continually improve, not alone but as a people. Like it says in Ephesians, the church is for perfecting the Saints so there are people out there willing to help us overcome these feelings and help us on the path to perfection.
Nobody in life is perfect and may offend us one time or many times in our live but like Elder Bednar said, “You and I cannot control the intentions or behavior of other people. However, we determine how we will act. Please remember that you and are agents endowed with moral agency, and we can choose not to be offended.” Let us all remember that we all the choice to have grudges on people for something they did or said or we can follow the Savior’s example to love all no matter what they say or do.
I’m sad to see people throw away their lives in the church b/c of offensive things that were done them by others. We all can be hypocritical at times but it is necessary to understand our faults and try to lift others up instead of put them down. I know that the Savior is always there to help us and he said, “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you…” Also he said, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” Even when are offended we need to take the Savior’s counsel and love them no matter what and continue faithfully in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We all have room to improve so I hope we all can follow the Savior and choose whether to act or to be acted upon. The choice is ours and ours alone. Let us all stay active in the church and do the things the Lord would have us do and also we need to watch what we say and do to people.
