Faithful Wounds

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

Proverbs 27:6 ESV

Ready or not, a new year is upon us. May I offer a few trinkets of wisdom that you might not have considered. Be ready for the unforeseeable with a listening ear to those who oppose you and pay attention to the small moments. Those two gems will allow you to pilot when life comes knocking, sending you in new and unexpected directions. The Lord’s voice is crystal clear when we become quiet before Him and when we listen to those with whom we don't always agree.

It is impossible to hear something while we are speaking. The sound of our own voice is much too fascinating to our own ears to give serious consideration to someone else’s perspective. We cling to our chosen path in life and jealously guard our own plans. Our villains are firmly in place, along with the flat characters that fill our story. What if our so-called enemies are really our friends? If faithful are the wounds of a friend, then perhaps we should listen when we are injured by those close to us. Perchance, the people that are standing in the shadows will be those who will come to our rescue. Life throws strange curves and if we are listening to the Master’s beat we will land on our feet.

Paul entered the kingdom of God the day he fell off his donkey, but it took three years in the Arabian Desert to shake off the garb of his old thoughts and lifestyle. What appeared to be a waste of three years turned out to be immensely valuable. You see, God cares as much for us as to does for the story He wants to tell through us. He tends to smooth down our rough edges by putting us in contact with those who tell us the truth. He is willing to go to great lengths and spend as much time as it takes to prepare us for life in His kingdom. When Paul emerged, he had gained profound insights into the gospel. His time in the desert was lonely and raw but the results were eternal. Paul’s writings have been a mainstay for the people of God through the ages.

Likewise, let’s not miss the simple, quiet moments that God brings across your path this coming year. We may discover in heaven that some of the times in life we thought were huge were surprisingly insignificant. In contrast, the moments we imagined to be of little consequence received the loudest applause from heaven’s audience. The acts of kindness, done without fanfare, were seen and commended by the Lord. The soft words of encouragement given to a stranger were observed and recorded. As Jesus taught, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Life truly begins when we listen to those whom the Lord has sent our way and when we watch for the small moments. As the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelius, once stated, “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” The Writer of our story knew us before the curtain opened and designed us perfectly for the part that He wants us to play.