Insulted

It happens to everyone. A comment is made that raises an emotion you're not entirely certain how to describe. At first, you think it's anger. Maybe your feelings have just been hurt. No, it's a little deeper than that. You feel completely insulted.

Insults most commonly come when people think less of us that we feel we deserve. We begin to wonder if the person really thinks we are so naive, uncaring, insensitive, or just plain stupid. The deepest insults come from those we thought knew us best; many times, painful insults come shortly after getting commended in the same life area by another.

When insults come, we feel betrayed. We want to lash out in anger at the source of our pain. Often, we decide to do the opposite and withdraw from those who have injured us.

With a single thoughtless comment, trust that has been built over time is destroyed. No matter how sincere the apology, things will never be the same. That's because we know that the insult contained a germ of that person's true opinion of us.

So how do we avoid being insulted? Can we avoid unintentionally insulting others? I think that our technologically driven society has forgotten the truth of the adage "Think before you speak." Before making the comment about an emotional situation, stop and think. Can this be misunderstood? Is this even an issue that needs to be raised? If we all took a couple of minutes to pause and think about others before we spoke (or typed, for that matter!), we would avoid the majority of the pain that we dish out.

To those on the receiving end of the insult, the advice is much the same. Avoid addressing the issue while you're dealing with hurt feelings because hurt people tend to hurt other people. The spiral of pain has to stop somewhere. Once you've dealt with the hurt and anger, objectively decide if anything needs to be said. In most cases, anything you say will only accomplish opening the door for more baseless insults to be hurled your way. Remember that the opinions of others do not determine truth. Walk confidently in the knowledge of who you are take all of your pains to the Lord, your Healer.