A Proverb A Day Keeps the Foolishness Away #27

 

Proverbs 27:

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

There is so much truth in this chapter about what it is to be a true friend. A true friend knows how and when and why to confront us when we are going astray or have done something wrong or offensive - to them or to someone else.  A true friend does not just tell us what we want to hear. Verse 10 adds these thoughts:

 Do not forsake your friend and your father's friend,

    and do not go to your brother's house in the day of your calamity.

Better is a neighbor who is near

    than a brother who is far away.

A true friend is there in the hard times, and a neighbor is something more than someone who lives next door: a neighbor is a friend - like family, when things get tough.

Questions: Would people describe me as friendly? Who calls on you in time of crisis? Who, besides family, can you call on in time of crisis? Am I afraid to be a friend?