Inappropriate Comment

Yesterday I asked you to participate in a poll on whether your Christmas celebration included Santa Claus.  This morning I logged on to see the results.  I click on the comments in my administrator's board and read a very disturbing comment containing much inappropriate language.  I read it carefully wondering why someone would write such things. 

On closer inspection, it was concerning a post from a week ago.  I reread the post and quickly determined that the comment had nothing to do with the post or myself.  I don't know how or why it got on my blog.  I am assuming it was spam.

I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who read it.  I am sorry that such vulgarity and nonsense was allowed on my blog.  I would also like to ask that if you see this on my site at any other time, you alert me so that I can remove it at once.

I would like to repeat that the comment had nothing to do with the post it was referring either in content or opinion. 

Please take the time to participate in the poll.  This blog is more interesting with your response.

The Body of Christ

I received an email this week that caused me to ponder about growth of the body of Christ (church).  The sender said, "Thin skinned Christians hinder growth of the body of Christ."  That caused me to spend some time wondering how many times I had been ultra-sensitive or gotten my feelings hurt over something that the other person meant nothing by.

I recently wrote part of a curriculum to go with a book written by a dear friend.  When I sent him the curriculum, I said "Let me know if there is anything wrong because I wrote it when I had a migraine and it was very hard to think."  When I didn't hear back from him, I wrote and asked if he had received it and did we need to talk about anything.  He wrote back that he hadn't emailed me about the curriculum because he "was holding off because since you wrote it when you had a migraine."  Immediately, my mind translated that into "Your work was inferior because of the migraine."  My blood pressure rose about 20 points.  I wrote and asked him what was wrong with my work.  Being the patient Christian that he is, his return email said, "Hold the press.  Who said your work was inferior?  I was waiting for you to feel better."  Can you say "red face"?  I was extremely embarrassed that I had jumped to a conclusion that he did not mean.

Had he not been such a mature Christian, I could have lost a very good friend because of my thin skin.  Thankfully, he forgave me and we have enjoyed a blossoming relationship since then.  I could give you countless other examples, but I won't.

And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me. Matthew 11:6.

Do you sometimes have thin skin?  Are you easily offended?  Do you blow things out of proportion?
Have you lost friends because of hurt feelings over trivial matters?  Isn't the cause of Christ more important than your feelings?  Isn't a Christian more valuable than an apology?