I love bacon! I mean, who doesn’t? Like butter, bacon just makes everything better. Recently, I purchased a package of this yummy treat and upon examination I muttered, “Could they make it any thinner?” I mean, seriously, where’s the bacon?

This observation  got me thinking about thinness. Not regarding the number on the scale, but rather the thinness of our collective skins and how easily offended we can get. All one has to do is turn on the TV to see that one wrong comment results in the person being “cancelled.”

Instead of dealing with the hurt or offense, we simply cut people out. Cancel them out of our lives. Why does this seem to be on the increase? You may be surprised to learn that today’s cancel culture is in the Bible:

“And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10 NKJV)

So, how do we guard our hearts against offense? How do we rise above cancel culture and live like the loving people God called us to be? It’s no accident that as I was pondering these questions, I received an email from Rev. Mac Hammond that provided several solutions. 

God commands us to walk in love. He loves us and we need to extend that same loving-kindness to others. If we want to see positive change in the world, we need to look to ourselves first. You know what they say:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

If anyone had a right to cut out the offenders in His life – to cancel them, it was Jesus. But what did He do in the face of ridicule, offense, and hateful words? He opened up His arms and as He was being crucified, He uttered these immortal words:

““Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”” (Luke 23:34)

Instead of cancelling the people who hurt our feelings, let’s build a bridge of love toward them. Let’s try to implement some of the suggestions listed above. Let’s put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) so we can guard our hearts against the inevitable fiery darts that come our way.

Let’s do what Jesus did to the offenders: Forgive them, because truly they know not what they do.