You "think" you said the right thing?

I don't have any premeditated or deliberate intention of hurting a flea, let alone any person.  It's just not my style, nor is it something that is part of my personality.  I have my father to thank for infusing me with this genetic gift.  He would always leave you feeling like you were a better person after being in his presence. And being in his presence was about you anyway, not him. So to have a recent challenge of offense and an awareness that I hurt someone publicly from the stage - because of a dumb joke I said - had me spinning.  I was thankful indeed for this person to give me a broader view and spectrum of the kinds of people in any given congregation or event. We all have our buttons; our limits of what we can or cannot take. We all are NOT the same.  We ALL have different backgrounds and preferences.  And the shocking revelation is this:  Not everybody THINKS like me! Hmmmm.....  I say this (tongue in cheek) quite emphatically, that I believe the more public your display of ministry, the more of a target you become and a greater chance of offending someone.  So, casting all my vulnerable piety aside, I am grateful for this mishap.  I'm glad that I was given a chance to apologize.  And better yet - I am extremely thankful for my friends and family that merely said, "You're kidding, right?  Anybody that knows you - knows that you never intended harm."  Yes, thanks for the comfort of seasoned edification.  But for now - I'll do like my heavenly Father says, "Be thankful in all things..."  Being in "HIS" presence is about Him anyway, not me.  So, I'm still learning and still growing.  Stuff an apple in your mouth and be done with it!