Love Covers

Proverbs 17:9 (MSG)

“Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and—good-bye, friend!”

In this day and age, it’s easy to get offended. Social media, text messages, entire conversations held in type without facial expression or tone of voice to help interpret them. Offense is a trap of the enemy. If he can get you offended, or better yet keep you offended, he can cut you off from blessings in your life.

That’s why proverbs tells us to overlook an offense and bond a friendship. Another translation says, “whoever would foster love, covers over an offense.” It isn’t that you’re covering up for seriously bad behavior. It’s that you’re allowing your relationship with the person and your love for that person to be the most important thing you see. The offense is there, intended or not. The hurt is there in your heart, but you choose to look at the relationship as a whole. You choose to focus on the love. You choose not to accept the offense.

The second half of the proverb tells us what happens if we don’t let go of an offense, white it out, cover it in love….we hang on to that slight and we destroy our relationship. There’s a time and a place to call out your friend in love. If they are sinning–intentionally or unintentionally–love says to offer gentle correction. But this proverb isn’t talking about sin. It’s talking about our feelings of offense…our feelings of being wronged. Sometimes you have to say to yourself, “Do I want relationship with this person, or do I want to be right?” The answer to that question will tell you everything you need to know.

Father, I thank you that love covers over offense. Love erases small wrongs done to us. Love seeks relationship health and restoration more than it seeks feelings of retribution and justice. Help us to walk in love with each other, Father. Help me to value relationship more than I value being right. If I need to speak up and make gentle correction in love, help me to do that, but if it’s just a small slight, help me to let it go and focus instead on the love I feel for that person. In Jesus’ name, Amen.