“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.” - Proverbs 27:6

The voice on the other end of the line begged me for a response. Pleading, she wanted to know my opinion. She wanted me to tell her if her view of the situation was right. I did not want to tell her - because she was not right. Instead, I wanted to comfort and console her. But, she pressed me. Backed me in a corner. Beseeched me. And, with hesitation for her fragile heart, I sent up a prayer and let the words roll as gently as I could.

I tried to convey to her a few key elements. Unfortunately, she was not right. Scripture did not support her position. She had indeed acted in the flesh.

I was not ready for her backlash.

I guess by now though, I really should be more comfortable with this type of situation. It is not easy to come face to face with the stench of our own sin and unrighteousness. Simply put, although we may beg and plead, we really don’t want to know the truth. We would rather believe our own lie - I mean, we would rather believe our own version of the truth. The question we fail to ask ourselves is “at what cost?”

Sometimes, we reject those that tell us the truth. We don’t want to hear it. But again, “at what cost?” Is it better to distance ourselves from the people who make us confront the impurities in our lives or is it better to simply face the matter? So many times, we run from the truth that is in place to free us. We run from the embrace of a real friend who is not afraid to tell us the truth, right into the arms of the enemy that desires to kiss us with deceit. How intimate the embrace of the adversary when we avoid the gentle hold of the Savior.

When we reject the truth dressed in love from a friend and decide to backlash ourselves into the arms of a waiting deceiver, it is not the friend that we hurt. Sure, they will see the error of our ways and may be hurt by our dismissal, but the real damage occurs within us because we have rejected wisdom from a friend.

Sometimes, as Christian friends, we have to say the hard things. Sometimes we have to be willing to risk hurt feelings so that the gospel is advanced. There is no room for compromise in the Kingdom of God. If your friend is telling you something that is truth but hurts your feelings, look beyond the messenger and thank the Savior. Your friend is being faithful in delivering this message to you. It’s now up to you to pray about the guidance your friend has given you and then move forward into that which glorifies the Father in Heaven. Your friend is not trying to hurt you - only help you. Faithful are the wounds of a friend.