It may also have been obvious to you, for a long time, that “ministry” itself—serving others—has to involve deciding not to be offended. It’s not an option. It is the essence of ministry. It finally occurred to me that we can’t be agents of healing in people’s lives unless we’re ready to bear their wounds for them and from them. Looking back, I wonder why it took me so long, how someone who purports to follow Jesus wouldn’t have understood this.
