From the Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
Sometimes being a friend means you have to hurt those you love.
In Proverbs 27:6 it says this: “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”
A number of years ago I met up with a woman from my church in front of the bank.
She was on her way to her office job and I noticed that she had lipstick on her teeth.
I felt awkward saying anything so just smiled and waved to her as she hurried off in her car.
I later relayed the story to my wife who was horrified that I had not said anything to her about the lipstick.
“Brian, don’t you realize how much embarrassment you could have saved her if you had just bitten the bullet and said something to her about it? Now, when she finds out later about it and thinks about how many people saw her, she will really feel awful!”
I said nothing because I was timid about addressing a delicate subject, but my inattention to her problem likely caused her further embarrassment than any she would have felt with me.
Do you shy away from confrontation with a friend or family member because you simply don’t want to “deal with it”?
There is another side to this proverb, too.
Sometimes, when we want something from someone but do not have a genuine interest in their well-being, we may gush over them superficially, thus proving to be more of an enemy than a friend.
It works both ways, too.
Someone may confront you about an issue in your life but it’s not what you want to hear so you get upset and disregard their counsel.
Avoid that temptation!
Be a true friend to someone who needs your friendship, and when necessary, let them be a true friend to you, too!
