Jason Budd

        Has a friend of yours ever come up to you and said, "Hey, I have to talk to you about something"?  That's happened to me and immediately your ears shoot up.  If you're not careful, your mind is already marching onto the defensive.  You're wondering what they're going to say.  You're thinking, "If they want to do this in private, then it can't be good."
        How sad is this reaction?  Are we really so fragile that we are afraid of a little criticism?  As Christians, we should be used to constructive criticism.  Our religion started with the criticism of the world, and our personal decision to follow Christ most likely came shortly after some of the most intense criticism from ourselves and others that we had ever experienced.
        So what we have to realize, and what this proverb is teaching, is that when a friend comes to you to talk about you, and it isn't all positive, you better believe that (1) they mean it and (2) it was likely very hard for them to do so.  The other side of the proverb, which we can't ignore, is that sometimes the most dangerous person for our souls is he who never corrects us and never says a critical word.  We must know that we are imperfect, because that is the basis of our discipleship to Christ.  So you have to wonder, if this person hides from me even my most fundamental flaws, what else is he hiding?
        Be true to yourself and to your friends, and help each other get to heaven, even when it's uncomfortable.