"Also, do not take seriously all words which are spoken, so that you will not hear your servant cursing you. For you also have realized that you likewise have many times cursed others." Ecclesiastes 7:21,22
It seems the older I get and the more I put my body through (like training for ultra marathons), the more sensitive my body is to the food I use to fuel it. I guess it goes back to that old adage, "junk in, junk out", meaning what we put into our bodies is the very thing that we can expect out of them. So eating healthy just makes sense right? Well, not for everybody. Most of my friends balk at the idea, calling me crazy, of giving up bread and processed foods and my family says I eat things even our dog won't eat . Does that kind of talk bother me? Of course not. After all, they're just words right?
And when it comes to being sensitive about things that people do, or especially say, the Bible warns us to "not take seriously all words which are spoken". In other words, you and I need to be careful that we aren't overly sensitive to what others might say or think about us at any given time. After all, you and I have more than likely said things we don't mean or shouldn't have said about others too right? And a careless word or action taken personally can easily strain or even tear apart relationships, friendships, churches and marriages.
So when it comes to being overly sensitive, may we resist the urge to take offence at things that really don't matter or are said in haste and without thought. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, a German poet and writer, said it best this way, "Do not give in too much to feelings. An overly sensitive heart is an unhappy possession on this shaky earth."
Heavenly Father, thank you for the blessing of forgiveness. Help us to extend that same blessing to others when we feel we have been slighted or offended. Give us discernment to let the things go that aren't important and to avoid harboring resentment when people say or do things that might serve to upset us. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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