“You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.” Proverbs 17:9 CEV
I heard this analogy on the radio the other morning and thought it is a wonderful way to get a point across about the dreaded topics of holding grudges and gossip.
The man on the radio said his friend asked him if he was an umbrella or a weatherman, and the man on the radio expressed that he was confused by this question. The friend asked him what he does when someone he knows, is friends with or loves does something wrong. Again the man on the radio stated that he was still confused, so the friend trying to clarify, put it this way.
When someone you know, a friend of yours or a loved one does something wrong, do you broadcast it like a weatherman for everyone to know or do you cover them in love like an umbrella covers you from the rain. That really spoke to me because this is such a simple analogy but it conveys the message so wonderfully. This made me think because I am as guilty as the next person of not always speaking in love when I am hurt.
So, my question is…..are you a weatherman or an umbrella?
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for not leaving me where I was with this behavior and continuing to help me to get where I need to go. Please help everyone to grow in the way they handle hurt from others. In Jesus’s name. Amen