"Wounds"

Proverbs 27:6

Faithful are the wounds of a friend,

But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

I have been thinking about this verse lately. Within the past several months, I have been seeking counsel and support from my friends regarding what God is doing in my life. Yes, he is stretching me. Sometimes my friends give me counsel that is hard to hear. It is not easy to embrace, even though it is right. Sometimes it even seems so foreign to my emotions, yet I am reminded by God's Word that the wounds of a friend are "faithful". They are meant to do God's work in us. The part I found even more interesting as I looked up this verse is the great relevance of the contextual verses.

Proverbs 27:5

Open rebuke is better than love carefully concealed.

and

Proverbs 27:7

A satisfied soul loathes the honeycomb,

but to a hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.

It is a blessing to have friends and family who can gently encourage you in the right way and sometimes, yes, "wound" you. They will touch the very depths of your heart and sometimes make you feel pain - pain over the way you feel, the way you act, and the struggles you bear. The Bible shows us that open rebuke from our loved ones is a blessing and that if we want to keep a spiritual hunger, we will swallow the "bitter things". I'm praying for this in my life.

Blessings,

Lisa