Look at the Lesson—not the Offense

One day as I was carrying out my normal routine, the memory of a past offense abruptly caught me off guard. Out of nowhere, the intruder captivated my mind in an attempt to draw my attention to the previous hurt it had once inflicted. As I found myself dwelling on the particular action, my emotions were reaping the consequence of such thinking. However, before it was allowed to linger any longer, the Lord intervened. Suddenly, I heard the Holy Spirit whisper to my soul, “Look at the lesson not the offense.” I knew immediately what the Lord was steering me to remember. 

We all have those moments when the Lord teaches us lessons we will never forget. This particular offense birthed such a moment. 

The Savior’s Classroom vs The Enemy’s Classroom

When an offense comes, you and I will either walk into the classroom where Jesus is the Teacher, or we will walk into the classroom where the enemy presides to instruct. How do we know in which classroom we are? I am glad you asked.😊

The Savior’s Classroom: When we walk into the Classroom of our Savior, He will instruct us biblically how to handle the offense, as well as the offender. If we stay with Jesus through it all, diving into His Word and being obedient to what He instructs us to do, we will walk out of that classroom a transformed student—healed, loving the person who hurt us, and in awe of the Teacher who instructed us!  

The Enemy’s Classroom: When an offense comes, and we allow ourselves to be instructed by the enemy, we will quickly find ourselves engaging in the following: (1) We will be instructed to view the offense through the eyes of the enemy; (2) We will be instructed to view the person who hurt us through a lens of bitterness; (3) We will be instructed against forgiveness and encouraged to hold grudges we were never meant to hold; and (4) We will walk out of his classroom bitter, wounded, and vengeful with no peace and no solutions. 

Joseph was a person whom God Himself had transformed. Joseph’s family mistreated him, sold him into slavery, and lied against him. Yet, in the end, Joseph viewed the entire situation through the lens of Christ. Instead of dwelling on the offense itself, he saw the purpose for what had happened and pointed others to do the same. He experienced restoration to his family. He experienced the peace of God.  

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20). 

On the day the offense resurfaced to my mind, I realized what the enemy was after, and so did the Lord. As stated previously, the enemy wanted me to dwell on the hurt, while the Lord wanted me to remember the lesson.   

Whatever offense you are holding on to today, release it—as well as the offender—into the loving hands of Jesus. Walk into His classroom, fall on bended knees, and allow Him to guide you and to transform your life. Refuse to allow the offense and the offender to mold you. Instead, allow the Teacher Himself to transform you. He loves you so much!