Pro 27:5  Open rebuke is better Than love carefully concealed.
Pro 27:6  Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

Who doesn’t appreciate lovely lies?

We all want to hear nothing but the best about ourselves.

Our go-to saying to others with low self-esteem is “You’re perfect just how you are.”

And that might be one of the biggest lovely lies we’ve ever said…or wanted to hear.

Those words do nothing to encourage one to see the truth. The truth of our flaws, and the truth of who we could be.

Open rebuke, rebuke done with love, grace, and mercy, is the best medicine for our souls.

Could I lose some weight? Sure thing.

Am I self-sabotaging my health? You bet!

Is constantly telling me I’m perfect, just how I am, going to help me live a long, healthy life where I get to meet my grandkids one day? Not one bit.

It all comes down to what you want from life. And of course, my health is just one example of many, where sometimes our friends are actually our enemies, their “kisses” are deceitful.

Now don’t hear me wrong, I’m not blaming my friends for my health situation, I have made choices all along on my own that gave me the health conditions that I suffer from. And I get to ask, when someone made a joke about my weight, when someone, while in good intent, called me “big guy”, and I took offence, it’s not because they were offensive, it’s because I didn’t see myself in the way they pointed out. I had blinders on.

I’d look at the people much “bigger” than I was and I would say, “Well, at least I’m not that big, that guy’s going to have some issues.”

That is a part of sin, not seeing our gluttony for what it is.

If I’m looking to step into faith, I get to recognize those friends who come beside me and say, “Hey Mike, are you open for feedback? I’ve noticed you put on some weight recently. I just wanted to make sure you’re all good, do you need any support at all?”

These are the friends who are faithful. Not afraid to say what needs to be said. Not out of judgment, but out of love, the desire to support. And, they make sure I’m open for that feedback before, because in the middle of drowning my sorrows in a sugar coma might not be the ideal time.

Today, because I was brave enough to say I’m not strong enough and need accountability, every time I go to eat something, my kids are there to remind me with their love, “Dad! You’re not supposed to have that!” And then I get to choose, knowing that I asked for that.

And now, I hope I am open to seeing all the other areas of my life that need open rebuke. That’s an exercise that never ends.