“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.”

Proverbs 27:6

Friendships aren’t always the sunshine and roses of cute brunches and social media posts. When faced with the options of a wound or a kiss, I’d assume most people wouldn’t be jumping at the chance to endure pain. Wounds aren’t fun. This verse is telling us the same thing applies to friendships.

A friend who feeds our worldly ego can be more enticing than a friend who gives us the honesty we need. Even trickier is that it’s not always blatantly obvious who’s an enemy and who’s a friend. A “friend” that encourages you to do what you want and live in the moment is actually a “kiss” of an enemy. A true friend calling you out in the moment prevents regret in the future.

A “friend” who makes excuses for your actions is actually a “kiss” of an enemy. A faithful friend speaks truth that can hurt, but it is what you need to hear. A true friend points out the “kisses of the enemies.”

God makes it clear how important friends are and how much of an impact they have on our lives. I assure you that there are Christ-minded friends out there who also invite you to cute brunches. Just ask God to bring those people into your life.

Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day. Please help me discern the righteous friendships from the harmful ones. I also pray that I would show Your love to others and be the friend You want me to be.

Daily Reading: Proverbs 27

– Contributed by Claire Redman