Walk Such Things Under Your Feet

TheDiscipleMD

Through my years of church associations and service, my experiences with others has been almost always positive and faith building. Some of that has to do with the nature of the members of the church, who I consider to be one of the finest group of people on the face of the earth. Some has to do with the nature in which I choose to interact with others. However, over the course of a lifetime all of us are bound to rub up against someone who can be described as “offensive” or at the least, most of us have had someone, purposefully, or inadvertently, say or do something offensive towards us. It could be a peer or it could be a church leader. If you have served in leadership it is not too uncommon for someone who has been called to follow you to express doubt in your skills or abilities. Well, my experience with people who offend is probably no different than most. And the reality is, its also possible that I could be offending others and not even know it. Offending usually is a two way street!

A number of years ago I had a negative experience with a church leader. And although my feelings were hurt, and I felt he was in the wrong, it never occurred to me to stop coming to church. Nor did I somehow equate this leaders actions with my testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I saw it for what it was; an unfortunate interaction that went terribly wrong.
“… In the parable of the sower, Jesus warned, “He … [endureth] for a while: [but] when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”

I have found that if I want to become offended by someone, I can choose to be so! Yet, what great words of wisdom were given by Joseph Smith to his good friend, Parley P. Pratt, when he was judged unfairly bringing shame to him and his family name. He told his friend, “Walk such things under your feet…God almighty shall be with you”.

To me, “walk such things under your feet” means that we need to not only let offenses go, but stomp them down under our feet so that they will never arise again in our hearts or minds. It is a sad thing to see an individuals throw away the goodness of the gospel for trivial things. Oft times, taking offense, is a guise for something much deeper than hearing an unkind word spoken. If ever we find ourselves in a position where the actions of others are affecting our testimonies, we need to ponder and examine what other issues could be at the root of our doubts. Being “offended” is never a good reason to abandon our faith.

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