No offense, but.

I have things I want to say, but I fear it may be offensive. Is offensive bad? Should I care about being offensive? I find our society to be a little confusing. We live in a time where we don't think it to be our place to tell people our true opinions because it may be offensive. We live in a place where we don't think it is right to tell others what is right for them. I'm afraid to offend people. I don't know what they would do. I don't know how they would react. Should I say what's on my mind? Even if I know that what I am about to say may help someone, I stop myself because I don't want them to get offended. 

It gets even more confusing though. In this society of political correctness, there are plenty of people all around us that are in fact telling us what to do. What to wear. What to eat. How to live. What to believe. What is right. What is wrong. What is healthy. What is dangerous. People all around us are definitely not afraid to voice their opinions or push their beliefs on others. Sometimes, it comes from the same people who don't like to hear what others have to tell them in return.

It really is a confusing thing for me. Where do I draw the line? When do I decide to say what I want to say, or to simply keep my mouth shut? If I offend someone, can that still help the person? I know that there have been plenty of times I've been offended by something someone has said, but what they said actually helped me. Could you actually be helping someone by offending them? Maybe the best advice is offensive. It is said that truth hurts. We just might be afraid of truth. 

 

Come to think of it, maybe the beauty of Jesus Christ is that he was, in the truest sense, offensive.

I can't hear you!

After spending a couple of days on a retreat, I was really able to sit and think about certain things that I would otherwise not give any time to had I been at home fighting the noise of this world. I had the luxury a couple of weekends ago to live just a few days without iPods, computers, cell phones, TV's, soccer scores, bills, and all the other distractions that I've become all too familiar with. I was given the opportunity, even just for a few minutes, to really sit in quiet.

I realized how much noise we all live with. Not just music or TV or computers, but a deeper noise. A noise that cannot simply be shut off. We have to hear the noise of  things like stress, anxieties, and worries. We have to deal with problems at home, at work, or within ourselves. We have to battle habits, addictions, and our self-esteem. We have to battle our ideologies and philosophies. We have to listen to opinions as we make our own. We have to deal with ourselves.

It only took me a few short minutes in quiet, to understand that most of us, including myself, don't know what to do when it is still. We are afraid of quiet. We want constant noise. We don't want to be still, because it will force us to deal with things we otherwise would simply ignore. Being quiet makes us think. Thinking makes us reflect. Reflection challenges us to make decisions. Decisions breed change.

It is no wonder we don't 'hear' God. We aren't listening. And when He speaks, we can't hear Him, because the noise of other more 'important' things over power the voice of Stillness and Quiet.