Have you ever said something out of your own frustration that was heard and received as an insult? The words just tumbled out because week after week you had been dealing with this same area of frustration. This is what's been weighing heavy on my mind lately. How easy it is for me to say something and have it be taken as an insult.
I recently walked away from a volunteer position because there wasn't much for me to do once I got there. Night after night I'd drive home wondering why I bothered to make the trip. Often having no more that two hours sleep the night before, I wondered why I was taking time away from my family to drive to another town and volunteer to do nothing but chat with the other volunteers. I was frustrated. So I said something to vent my frustration.
When I say something that hurts someone, I feel regret. I often try to make it better by sending a card, which I did in this case. But I think even my card wasn't well-received. For weeks I was bothered by this. I had to find a way to put it to rest. Do you know how I did it, how I managed to find peace in that situation? I forgave myself. I did what I could to make it right (sent the card) and then I forgave myself.
Every day we say things that could potentially hurt someone. Some people intentionally throw insults. But I believe most people don't intend their words to be hurtful. I believe we need to give others the benefit of the doubt more often. My experience has taught me to offer grace when I feel insulted by others. Because I don't really know what's going on in their lives. What I take as an insult could be just their own frustration coming to the surface.
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