THINK TOGETHER.
Have your feelings ever been hurt by someone?
READ TOGETHER
Proverbs 17:9. Whoever covers an offense seeks love, but he who repeats a matter separates close friends.
Do you want to be a good friend? I hope so. If you do, then you must learn the lesson that Solomon is teaching us here in Proverbs 17:9. It is a lesson about what to do if you are offended or have your feelings hurt by your friend. Has that ever happened to you? I’m sure it has.
When we are hurt by our friend, Solomon says that we can either cover it, or we can repeat it.
To cover over an offense means to forgive it. This does not mean that what your friend did was OK, or that it didn’t hurt you. It means that you are able to feel the hurt without having to pay it back. Your able to say “that’s OK” when they apologize. If your friend has not apologized, then you need to go to them by yourself or with an adult and tell them that what they did hurt your feelings, hoping that they will see that what they did was wrong, and say, “I’m sorry.”
To repeat an offense is the exact opposite, telling everyone what happened. This person is a tattle tale. When their feelings get hurt they want everyone else to know it so that others will feel sorry for them. They might even try to make their friend look bad to others. This, of course, will separate close friends, as Solomon says.
Jesus is the best friend ever. He always covers up our offenses, and never repeats them. That’s why he died on the cross for us, isn’t it? So that all our sins which are offensive to God could be forgiven and forgotten. Now Jesus will never bring up our sins again. He’ll never repeat them. Not to you or to God. And when we are trusting in this forgiveness of our sins, then we can forgive others of their sins against us too, and work hard to keep our friendships strong.
Because of Jesus our sins will never be repeated.
With Jesus we can cover over offenses and not repeat them to others.
DO SOMETHING TOGETHER
Discourage tattling in your home. Work on a strategy with your kids for going to each other when their feelings get hurt instead of coming first to you.
PRAY TOGETHER
Jesus, you are the best friend ever. You covered up all my sins on the cross. Now I can forgive others just like you forgive me. Amen.
TLICfamily 