True Friendship Hurts

«That's for you!!!»

Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Solomon (Proverbs 27:5-6)

  1. In what relationships are you telling people “what they want to hear” just to keep the peace? Is this really helping them? What does it say about your friendship?
  2. It’s amazing what you can say to someone when they sense you really care about them. How can you underscore your friendship while delivering constructive criticism (i.e. rebuke or wounds)?
  3. Are you on the receiving end of some “open rebuke” and “wounds” from people that care about you? Rather than lash out, become defensive or ignore, wouldn’t it be better to listen, thank them and to seek out their counsel?
  4. Using the criteria in this proverb, who are your true friends (…and enemies)?

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Picture: Creative Commons License Tambako The Jaguar via Compfight

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  1. I’m not usually accused of ‘keeping the peace’ very well but I definitely need to work on underscoring my “friendship while delivering constructive criticism (i.e. rebuke or wounds)”. Thanks for the reminder!