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“Thin skin doesn’t cut it— it’s too often injured, too easily offended.”

A thought by Mark Batterson from his book, Play the Man: Becoming the Man God Created You to Be (p. 13). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

That is so true, isn’t it?

Mark says, “One of my annual rituals is choosing a verse of the year. The verse I chose a few years ago was Proverbs 19: 11: ‘It is to one’s glory to overlook an offense.’ It was the same year I released a book, The Circle Maker, which has sold more copies than any of my other books but has also garnered its fair share of criticism. It’s no fun being falsely accused of false teaching or false motives. And I could have swallowed that pill and let it poison my spirit, but I made a decision to overlook the offense. My goal that year was to be unoffendable.

“Don’t let an arrow of criticism pierce your heart unless it first passes through the filter of Scripture. (I first heard this idea from Erwin McManus. So good. So true.)  No one is above rebuke, and we’re all imperfect. So if the criticism is valid, repent. But if it’s not, don’t swallow the pill, because it will poison your spirit. Overlook the offense! You’ll be more of a man because of it. Playing the man requires tough skin, and it’s absolutely necessary if you want to play business, play politics, play sports, or even play marriage.”

He goes on, “When I was in junior high school, I was called a few names that aren’t fit for print. I’m sure you experienced this too. No one graduates from junior high— they survive! But as I look back on it, I think it prepared me for real life by teaching me how to prove the naysayers wrong. Now, please don’t use that as an excuse for name-calling.  Bullying is a legitimate issue. When I was a kid, physical bullying was a real problem. Add social media to the mix, and it has gotten even uglier. Either way, there is no place for it. Nothing is more cowardly than bullying.

“That said, I wonder if our culture of political correctness has left us too thin-skinned. Again, I’m not advocating for careless, thoughtless, heartless insults. But when political correctness becomes the Golden Rule, speaking truth becomes bigotry. Truth is crucified in the name of tolerance, undermining civil debate, conscientious objection, and religious conviction.

“We live in a culture where it’s wrong to say something is wrong. And I think that’s wrong!  Remaining silent on a subject that God has spoken about isn’t loving— it’s cowardly. And when we fail to use our voice, we lose our voice. We as the church should be more known for what we’re for than what we’re against. But playing the man requires standing up for what you believe in, even if you’re standing alone.”  And that goes for women too!

Again, I say, that is so true, isn’t it?


Yes, yes!
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