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Why Leaders Can't Afford to be Easily Offended

Editor’s Note: Michael Hyatt is joining us next week for ChurchLeaders LIVE, a free online event to help recharge your ministry. Sign up today and we’ll save you a virtual seat.

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As a leader, you are going to draw fire. People will criticize you. Some will second-guess your decisions. Others will impute motives that aren’t there. A few will falsely accuse you.

For example, just a few weeks ago, someone wrote a blog post publicly calling me a hypocrite. I won’t lie; it stung. I was tempted to respond in kind. Thankfully, I didn’t.

But that doesn’t mean it was easy. It never is for me. I often have to remind myself of three great truths I have learned—and am still learning—about offenses.

1. Offenses are inevitable.

Jesus Himself said,

Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! (Matthew 18:7)

According to the Dictionary.com, woe means, “grievous distress, affliction or trouble.” Anyone who has been offended understands woe. And in my experience, it doesn’t get much easier with age.

But as Jesus also notes, offenses must come. People offend us by what they do (sins of commission) and, sometimes, by what they don’t do (sins of omission). Either way, life affords us daily opportunities to be offended.

Note that while offenses may be inevitable, Jesus doesn’t let the offender off the hook. They, too, are accountable and will experience their own level of woe.