And Nothing Shall Offend Them

Elder David A. Bednar
"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else."

I love that Elder Bednar mentions that when we are offended it is by our own choice. We all have our agency and no matter the situation, we can choose to be offended by what is happening, by what others say, or whatever else it may be. It is almost empowering to know that we have the CHOICE to be offended or not. Sometimes we feel like we have the right to take offense, but I know that our lives are much more richly blessed when we choose not to be offended by what others might say or do.