The Error of Avoidance

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 15:12

A scoffer does not like to be reproved; he will not go to the wise…

I know someone with whom I and others used to be close. We communicated regularly and enjoyed a good friendship. Some time back this person stopped responding. At first, I thought they might just be busy with life and didn’t have the time to reply to my efforts. Later I spoke to a mutual friend who told me they were getting the same treatment but they knew the real reason.

This friend had taken a turn down a spiritually dark path. They were living a life that was a total contradiction to everything they had, up to that point, professed to believe. They were doing things a few months earlier no one would have dreamed they would do.

The real reason I and others weren’t hearing back from this person is they were avoiding us because talking to their old friends would mean reproval. No one likes to be told they are doing wrong. I understand that. But our best friends, our true friends, aren’t the ones who tell us what feels good to us and what we want to hear. Our real friends tell us what we need to hear. They tell us what is wise, true, right, and good.

Avoid becoming a “scoffer” who “does not like to be reproved.” Go to the wise. Listen to them. Even when it hurts.