I’m not good at being politically correct…at least based on what I know of it. When you are politically correct you don’t say something that will offend someone. For instance, you don’t call a person who has a same-sex partner a derogatory name. You call them a homosexual or a lesbian. You don’t ask a woman who may just be overweight if she is pregnant.
Politically correct behavior has seemed to morph into something even broader than what you call someone. For instance, kids are being taught in many places that there are no winners and no losers. It doesn’t matter if that doesn’t square with the real world.
In the real world your behavior is going to be judged and your value to the organization where you are employed is going be evaluated. You will most likely have to perform in a manner measured against some standards if you want to keep your job.
But in spite of that I still hear “politically correct” talks that seem to be aimed at making sure someone isn’t offended by what is said. I heard the other day in a presentation about a new initiative that just because the initiative has been introduced doesn’t mean that the employees haven’t been doing a great job so far.
If that’s true, what’s the point of the new initiative? If the old way of doing things is working across the board and producing the results you want why do you need a new initiative? If it isn’t working, aren’t you allowed to say so and expect that the behaviors of those you employ to change?
While not politically correct, it seems that it would be more truthful to say that the customer service of our organization (put in the name of your company, church or organization) isn’t up to par and we need to change how we are relating to our customers. We are failing to meet their expectations of good service. In fact, they are rating us as offering poor service.
That might offend someone who thinks from their own perspective that they are doing a great job even if they aren’t. So whose perspective prevails? The person who is leading the organization who feels that the performance of his employees isn’t up to par or the employee who isn’t in touch with reality and feels that he/she is doing a great job when they are falling short of the goal?
And tell me something, would you change your behavior if someone didn’t “offend” you occasionally to let you know that you weren’t measuring up or that some behavior of yours was not producing the results you want?
What is the root of the offense people take at things? It’s an indication of your woundedness. If someone says something that trips your trigger it probably has something to do with a past wound, some way in which another person spoke cutting words to you that wounded your soul. If you haven’t had the opportunity to know God in that place in your life the wound can still be painfully touched by unsuspecting others.
That’s the point. If I say something unsuspecting to another with no intent to offend and they get offended have I committed a sin? Is there anything I can do to change that person’s response?
All we can do is ask forgiveness for any way that we have offended someone. This opens the door for the Holy Spirit to bring conviction to that person. It isn’t our responsibility. We might, if they ask, have the opportunity to speak truthfully to them in love about their sensitivity.
Confronting them about their woundedness probably won’t result in a positive outcome. It will just trigger defensiveness. Most of us don’t realize when we are reacting in offense to something someone else has said we aren’t responding to them but to the original person who caused the offense wound in our hearts.
I’m very experienced in offending people. I believe that is because the Father wants me to be quick to repent and provide the atmosphere for Him to work in the hearts of those I offend. It also has to do with the fact my gifting is in the direction of the prophetic. Do I particularly like this calling? Not really but my Father has so worked in my life that I am willing to lay down my “life” and not make excuses for why I have offended someone so that they may experience real life as well.
