Denver Seminary

“Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person” (Col 4:6 NASB).

When I was a boy a stray dog came from some unknown place and decided to live with us. We named her Barnacle because she attached herself to us. Barney was the gentlest of dogs. We would dress her up in clothes—which she didn’t like—but she always came back for more.

One day Barney was run over by a truck. Her hind legs and body were crushed. I rushed out with a pillow to put her on so we could take her to the vet without hurting her so much as we moved her. When I reached down to help her on the pillow she bit me! Why did she bite me? Because she was a vicious dog? No. She bit me because she was hurting so much.

Over the years I have learned that, like Barney, when people hurt they tend to bite. We often ignore the hurt and condemn the bite. But that accomplishes nothing except the feeling of rejection on the part of the biter. What a biter needs is grace for the hurt, not condemnation for the bite. When we help with the hurt we help with the bite.  We must look beyond the fault to see the need.