The phrase “taking umbrage” refers to feelings of displeasure or resentment, or offense taken to something said or done. Christian Science shows us that we have God-given authority to reject any negative or ungodlike thoughts, which would cloud the Christliness and charity we should be expressing, thoughts that are natural to us because we are, in truth, the reflection of the one Mind, God. This need to be charitable applies whether we are thinking about ourselves, others, or even the world at large. In so far as we do this we will avoid taking offense at whatever someone says or does around us. We will resist the temptation even to entertain “umbrage-like” thoughts or aggressive mental suggestions which might produce a negative response from us.
Jesus taught us not to make a reality of our brother’s failings or magnify his weaknesses.
Mary Baker Eddy, who founded this magazine, notes: “Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort” (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210). Because there is only one God, one immortal Mind, and we are His reflection, we don’t have to identify any resentful, mortal thoughts as our own. In fact, as God’s image and likeness, in reality we are incapable of receiving or entertaining such thoughts. And because we are God’s children—Mind’s ideas—we have the right and authority to reject them and, as Mrs. Eddy instructs, keep our minds filled with good and true thoughts coming from God.
The Bible does not use the word umbrage, but it does contain a number of helpful references to offensiveness and how to deal with it. For example, we are told that even if someone appears to offend us, or appears offensive in our sight, we should still not react negatively; in fact, the Bible instructs us to: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:44, 45). We should not make a reality of offenses at all, but should love ourselves and others with a charity which makes nothing of them. A case in point is the lovely story in the Bible about Shem and Japheth refusing to gaze on Noah’s nakedness. Instead of taking offense at their father’s actions, they walked backward toward him with a covering so that they would not see Noah in such an uncharacteristically sinful state, and so that Noah would not be embarrassed (see Genesis 9:21–23).
Jesus’ teachings have many references to how we should respond when we’re tempted to take offense or be judgmental. Rather than make a reality of our brother’s failings or magnify his weaknesses, Jesus said we should “love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). He told us in the Sermon on the Mount that we should be merciful, pure in heart, and peacemakers (see Matthew 5:7–9). Mrs. Eddy also has a number of important things to say about both giving and taking offense. Like Jesus, she stresses the need to be inoffensive ourselves—thus ensuring we do not give offense—when she includes “inoffensiveness” in her definition of “sheep” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 594).
The subject is also taken up in an article titled “Taking Offense” in which is this statement: “Then, we should go forth into life with the smallest expectations, but with the largest patience; with a keen relish for and appreciation of everything beautiful, great, and good, but with a temper so genial that the friction of the world shall not wear upon our sensibilities; with an equanimity so settled that no passing breath nor accidental disturbance shall agitate or ruffle it; with a charity broad enough to cover the whole world’s evil, and sweet enough to neutralize what is bitter in it,—determined not to be offended when no wrong is meant, nor even when it is, unless the offense be against God” (Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 224).
With these teachings, then, we are fortified in our stand against falling prey to umbrage. Our inoffensiveness, our charity, and love toward all is based in our understanding that the true God-given nature of all of us is Godlike and spiritual and, therefore, sinless. Though it’s true that we must identify, reject, and refuse to express sinfulness when we detect it in ourselves, we do this from a basis of knowing that God’s man, made in His pure likeness, is never a sinner, an offender, or an offense-taker, but is always the sinless, innocent, non-accusatory child of God.
When all’s said and done, umbrage has no part in a life governed by Truth.
I had one experience where applying this understanding produced a harmonious outcome in a dispute over property boundaries. My wife and I had arrived home from church to find that our neighbor had moved our joint boundary fence to incorporate part of a pond we owned. We were annoyed at first, resentful of his offense and affront. But we prayed to be more charitable and non-accusatory, and to see him as the sinless, inoffensive man of God’s creating. We were led to visit him in a spirit of neighborliness to seek an explanation for his actions. He said he had been looking at maps which showed he was entitled to more land and he was just establishing his rightful property line. We understood, but asked if he realized that the new fence prevented us walking around our pond, which we did often. He admitted that he did not, and accepted that he should have talked to us first.
Then, as we continued to pray without any umbrage in our thought, he offered to move his new fence back a bit so that it would not impede our walk. We accepted his offer as an answer to our prayer for harmony in the situation, and parted on good terms. We felt we had won over our neighbor rather than lost him as a friend, which could have been the case, had we reacted differently.
This proved to be the case when, the following Sunday when we came back from church, we saw that he had not only moved the fence back but had also chopped down one of our dangerously compromised trees, which was a very neighborly act as we did not have the equipment to do it. We always greeted each other as friends after that. In fact, over the years, there were many added blessings from our determination to see and treat him as a good neighbor.
When all’s said and done, umbrage has no part in a life governed by Truth. We can trust that when God’s loving, charitable man—which we all are—is kept clearly in thought and acted on, we’ll see His harmony expressed and His blessings abound.
