Nobody likes to be insulted. Duels have been fought over insults real or perceived. Friendships have been broken. Wars have been started. All kind of grief comes from insulting behaviour. Of course, there is a variety of that kind of behaviour. Some insults attack one’s character, one’s abilities, perhaps even one’s fitness as a human being. Pointing out weaknesses about one’s physique, appearance, intellect and the like are still insulting, even if they are true.
But the greatest insult of all is simply to deny the existence of the other person. I trust it has never happened to you. It has happened to me, fortunately not frequently, but I recall one particular incident when I bumped into an acquaintance and upon seeing her I put out my hand to shake and she would not shake my hand. I felt insulted.
I'll explain quickly that what motivated this was not any personal grudge. It happened during a local flu epidemic and I soon observed that she wouldn't shake anybody’s hand. But even understanding that later didn’t change the instant negative impact of her refusing to put out her hand when I extended mine.
Two people walking down the street may make accidental eye contact, break that contact and ignore the encounter and nobody feels particularly the worst for it. But if you meet a person you know, someone with whom you have had previous social contact and that person averts his or her eyes that’s hurtful. It's insulting. Interestingly enough, even when you lock eyes with a stranger there is tendency to make some gesture of acknowledgement of their presence. It might be a slight nod, a little smile. It could even be a spoken greeting depending on the situation and where in the world you are. But to make contact and then not acknowledge the other person is insulting.
One blustery wintry evening I was driving my car in the city and another vehicle in front of me had stalled in the middle of an intersection. The weather was unpleasant and I could see that the occupant of the car was a woman with three small children. I pulled my car to the side of the road and my older children leapt out with me and together we pushed the lady’s car through the intersection and got her safely into a parking place on the other side of the street. She was effusively grateful and kept expressing her gratitude to us. However imagine how we would have felt if she had not expressed any gratitude, indeed if she had not even acknowledged our help or our presence even though we had gone somewhat out of our way to offer her assistance in her time of need.
It occurs to me some people treat God this way, perhaps in an effort to preserve their own sense of self sufficiency. People don't acknowledge the blessings of God in their lives. They receive His gifts as givens and don't even nod at the One who has provided these things. In Luke 17:17, after healing a group of lepers, Jesus asked "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? 90% of the healed men just took the blessing and did not even acknowledge Jesus’ role in their healing, let alone be thankful.
This kind of attitude is insulting to God. God has reached out to us in many ways in simple everyday blessings, but more importantly has also reached out to us spiritually. He has reached out to us through His Son and offered to take away the penalty of our sin through His death on the cross. Given that God has gone to such extraordinary lengths to reveal Himself to us as a God of love, it is appropriate for us to acknowledge that He is there. Not only merely that He is there, as we might nod to a stranger, but to respond appropriately and consciously receive the gifts that He has given us with gratitude and worship.
Take a moment and reflect on your life and think about your relationship with God and whether you have even begun one. If not, you could begin one today by faith. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and begin a relationship with God.
Ron Hughes
© August 2007