Avoiding Good Things

As I read 1 Peter 2:8 the other day about Jesus being "a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense," which He said would even crush some, I was reminded how often we are guilty of AVOIDING GOOD THINGS.
In church we work hard not to offend people, which can be good unless they are offended because we simply speak the truth of God's Word with an attitude of genuine love. In fact, people often "rebuke the spirit of offense," when in reality Jesus has said He will be offensive to many. His offensive truth is a good thing that will set someone free and help them overcome, if they will submit to the truth. We are guilty of avoiding this good thing, when we are overly concerned about offending someone or even rebuke a spirit that is of the Lord. Of course, we are instructed not to offend, but that is about us not being offensive in our attitude and actions. The truth is that the word of the Lord may be an offense and should not be avoided.
I also was reminded that we often avoid "splitting up," when it may be something God can use. For instance, Paul and Barnabas split over John Mark and were even contentious about it (Acts 15:36-39). The result was that there were two mission teams that went out rather than just one. That was a good thing. It would have been nice for Paul and Barnabas not to be contentious, but a good thing came out of it.
These kinds of thoughts make me stop and think about what kinds of "Good Things" I might be avoiding. It is like the purpose of pain, which we often avoid or mask. Pain serves the purpose of warning us, but if we avoid or mask it, we put ourselves in danger of injury.