Proverbs 19:11: A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense.
I recently had a situation where I felt like I was wronged by someone. My initial feelings were to immediately “set him straight”; to tell him what I thought. But for some reason I felt impressed to keep my words to myself. About a week later that person received some news that brought on a great deal of worry and concern. I found myself encouraging him. I was helping my “offender”. Afterwards his approach and tone towards me changed…for the better.
One of the things I’ve discovered over the years is that “being right” isn’t always the top priority in a relationship. You can be “right” and have an urge to demonstrate or prove your “rightness”. But if words or actions are done at the wrong time, in the wrong way, with the wrong intent, you can do more damage than good. Also, we can only see what’s in front of us. Neither my “offender” nor myself knew that he would be receiving some devastating news a week into the future.
Since God is the only one who knows the future, it just makes sense to trust Him and be obedient to His leading. The impression I received for some reason occurred after I had spent time reading the Word and praying. I had been doing this regularly every morning. So I was “in tune” with Him and actually looking to hear from Him. In the days leading up to the offense I had read several Proverbs about my words and being careful about what I say. They seemed to stick in my mind when I read them…it seemed like a pattern. I had no idea that I would be “offended” a few days in the future.
Godly wisdom enables you to make better decisions and not operate off of feelings or human reasoning. By applying wisdom to your decisions, your outcomes may surprise you…in a good way.
Comments