Proverbs 25:19, “Like a broken tooth or a lame foot is reliance on the unfaithful in a time of trouble.”

Have you ever had a broken tooth or an injured foot?  Or in general have you ever suffered injury in your physical body to the point where you couldn’t do what you would normally be able to do?  I have many times! My worst injury happened while snowboarding and trying to catch “big air.”  I was heading down the hill around 20-25mph and hit a jump and went about 10-12 feet in the air and landed with all of my 230lbs directly on my shoulder.  I had never felt pain like that before because I could hardly move my arm.

I remember coming home and my wife was so upset that I as a father of two at that time and 34yrs old would put myself in that kind of situation.  Literally for two months every time I tried to lift my arm excoriating pain would shoot through my whole body.  Thankfully after getting it checked out I only had minor tears that could heal on their own without any surgery.  But it seemed to take forever to get my full strength back.

The lesson I learned from the injury (besides not trying to catch big air) was how to use one arm to do all my everyday functions- like putting on my pants, playing with my kids, and driving a car.  However, at certain times out of habit, I would forget my arm was injured and I would try to use it for a task and instantly the pain would come and remind to not use that arm.

The same is true with people who are unfaithful and are apart of your life.  When you need them to be there in troubling times instead of helping and making the situation better they cause pain and make things worse.  Unfaithful people hurt people that depend on them, period. Do you know any people like that?  That in times of trouble you try to count on them, but they only cause pain?  Have you ever been that kind of person that when someone was counting on you- you let them down and gave them tremendous pain?

Take some time today to first evaluate your life and see if you have ever been unfaithful to others in times of trouble and caused them pain.  And then recognize the people that can’t be relied upon in your times of hardship because they only make things worse.

The solution to unfaithfulness is simple- first, for those who are unfaithful stop causing people hurt and start being dependable.  Second, stop relying on unfaithful people in times of trouble.  Instead find a good friend to lean on in your times of trouble!

Reflection

What kind of person are you; faithful or unfaithful?

Action

  1. Ask God to show you the kind of person you are for others in their troubling times.
  2. Repent of any unfaithfulness you might have had in the past.
  3. Ask God to make you a faithful person and to have wisdom to choose the right people to depend on in your times of trouble.