They say time heals all wounds, but when it comes to offense, time alone doesn’t heal anything. Offense isn’t just some minor issue you can shrug off or hope fades away. It’s a sting—like the sting of a wasp—and if you let it linger, it’ll fester and grow roots deep into your heart. Those roots aren’t harmless. They’re the roots of bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, and hatred, and they choke out everything good God intended for your life. Hebrews 12:15 warns us, “Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby may be defiled.” If you let offense take root, it won’t just trouble you—it’ll defile everything around you.

Think about the sycamine tree. Its very existence depends on the sting of a wasp. Every time it reproduces, it’s through that sting. Now imagine living life like you’re walking through a hive of wasps. That’s the reality Jesus spoke of in Luke 17:1 when He said, “It is impossible but that offenses will come.” You’re going to get stung in this life. It’s not a matter of if, but when. People will say things, do things, or betray you, and the sting will come.

But the real question is: what will you do when it happens?

Here’s the thing—you can’t ignore the sting. If you get stung by a wasp, you don’t leave the stinger under your skin and hope it’ll magically disappear. If you do, it’ll fester, get infected, and make things worse—especially if you’re allergic to it. You address it immediately. Yes, it hurts. Yes, it might leave a welt, but you don’t let it linger. The funny thing is, once you’re stung, you don’t waste your life chasing the wasp the next day, screaming and cussing at it. You know it’s just part of life.

But offense is no ordinary sting. It doesn’t just hit the surface; it goes deeper. It stings the heart. It strikes your pride, your ego, and your emotions. And that’s where the real problem lies—not in the offense itself, but in the condition of the heart. Jeremiah 17:9 tells us, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” A proud, unyielding heart is the perfect breeding ground for offense. It refuses to let go, refuses to forgive, and demands its own way at any cost. And that cost is often the people closest to you—family, friends, relationships you should cherish.

Pride will sacrifice everything for the sake of being “right.”

That’s why Jesus said in Luke 9:23, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” Denying yourself means refusing to let offense rule your life. It means recognizing that you are not your own—you’ve been bought with a price. First Corinthians 6:20 reminds us, “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Offense didn’t pay for you. Offense doesn’t own you. So why let it control you?

Here’s the reality: offense will come, but it doesn’t have to stay. The moment it stings, you’ve got a choice—address it, forgive, and let it go, or let it burrow deep and grow into something far worse. The cross Jesus calls us to carry isn’t about carrying grudges or nurturing wounds—it’s about laying them down. Offense may sting, but it only has the power you give it. Don’t let it define your life. Instead, let the grace of God uproot bitterness and pride, and walk in the freedom Jesus paid for with His blood. That’s the only way to truly live free.

—Joshua L Mullins