“Like a bad tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in times of trouble” (Proverbs 25:19).
I love the comedic poetry of Pam Ayres. Her poem, ‘Oh, I wish I’d looked after me teeth,’ has this haunting line: “My Mother, she told me no end, ‘If you got a tooth, you got a friend.’”A reminder that dentists take holidays to the south of France on the money of those of us who refused to heed our dear mum’s wisdom in our youth.The agony of a bad tooth biting down on something hard, believe it or not, can be matched by the pain of walking on a sore leg. I didn’t know what pain was until my sciatic nerve suddenly transformed me into a six-week cripple. As much as we rely on our doctors and dentists to help us through our extremely painful physical problems, we rely on our friends to help us through the overwhelming times of trouble that befall us.This is when we, as they say, ‘find out who our real friends are.’Our writer of Proverbs is lamenting misplaced confidence.Job’s three friends are an excellent example. Instead of standing by his side providing loving support, they proved to be hurtful and wearisome. Judas reigns supreme as the ultimate insincere and treacherous friend. Jesus loved him, taught him, warned him, but let him choose the path of destruction.Treasure those faithful friends. Especially the “friend who sticks closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).John staigerIf you have been blessed by this message, please feel free to: Like, Comment or Share it with your friends.
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