1515) Growing up, I heard multiple times in Sunday school, church, youth group and more that there are things in life we must “let go” of. I remember desperately wanting to let go of some things, but I could not figure out how. If you have had this difficulty too, Proverbs 19:11 reveals two things that will help unravel this lack of understanding.

The second thing the Proverb tells us when facing difficulties (and yes, I have skipped the first one for now) with others is to “overlook” or let go of the offense. This word, overlook, is abar in Hebrew and this means to pass over or pass by the difficulty. The word implies to let it go in one ear (or through our hearts/feelings) and out the other.

No, this is not something we automatically do but we can choose to do it. Yet there is another important thing the author of Proverbs reveals and it’s the first one I skipped. We are told in the first part of verse 11 we need wisdom first before we overlook an offense. Why? Because sometimes we must take a stand; to make clear our boundaries with others. How do you know when to speak up and when to let it pass by? That’s where wisdom comes.

God is in the business of passing out wisdom, James 1:5, so all you need to do is ask him for it, then you’ll know when it’s better to let something go in one ear and out the other and when not to.