Take Care!

Take Care!

Better is an open reprimand [of loving correction] Than love that is hidden. Faithful are the wounds of a friend [who corrects out of love and concern], But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful [because they serve his hidden agenda]. PROVERBS 27:5‭-‬6 AMP

Human relationships are complex. Right after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden where God had placed the first man, formed the first woman and gave out assignments, man has always struggled to have really meaningful relationships. The first child who came out of Adam and Eve was a master in deception, who deceived his own brother into the field, killed him there, hid his body and then tried to hide the truth from the great Seer himself. Basically, that's what we do today.

We have become masters in deception; people who can say one thing with our lips and mean the very opposite with our hearts. Because we do not want to hurt another person's feelings, we have found ways around the truth. Whilst it is a good idea not to emotionally destroy another, it seems from today's extract that God would have us find the right balance between truth, relationships and eternity. Should I be more interested in the soul of the person or my friendship with the person? Should I place more importance on being nice or on being real? How do I speak the truth to another, retain the person's trust and still secure the life of that person?

And on a personal level, can I also take the heat when it is on me? If I go wrong, am I reachable and teachable? Have I become a know-it-all, who cannot be wrong, or can I keep my eye on eternity, while sorting out the complex daily human interactions? It is better to be a friend who speaks the truth out of love. It is better to have a friend who is not shy to speak the truth. If I am a pretender, or I am an insincere or untruthful friend to another, I open myself to the same treatment, and God forbid, nobody will be able to correct me when I go wrong.

So, which would I prefer: wounds from friends or kisses from the enemy? And on a personal level, which one am I: a friend or an enemy? Only a close and daily walk with God can give the right ideas on how to handle complex human interactions. I have to daily depend on God for the right words, the right actions and the right direction. Any other option would have dire eternal consequences. His time of favour is here.