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? Do you remember how much pain you had each time you tried to use it? Or have you been injured in another part of your body where you couldn’t do what you normally were able to do? As a former skateboarder, snowboarder and wakeboarder; I can relate to all kinds of injuries that caused me severe pain!
My worst injury happened while I was snowboarding and I tried to catch “big air.” I was heading down the hill around 20mph and hit the jump wrong. I went about 10 feet in the air and landed with all of my weight directly on my shoulder. The pain was instant and intense. I’d never felt pain like that before. Thankfully, I was able to get up and drive myself home. But I couldn’t move my arm with out feeling excruciating pain for the next month.
My wife was upset that I, as a father of two children at that time, had put myself in that kind of situation. For weeks, every time I tried to lift my arm, pain would shoot through my whole body. After I went in for an MRI, I was happy to learn I’d only had minor tears that could heal on their own without any surgery. Still, it seemed like it took 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. At certain times, out of habit, I would forget my arm was injured and I would try to use it for a simple task and instantly the pain would come back to remind me not to use that arm. My injured shoulder made my life painful.
The same is true with people who are unfaithful; they will make your life painful. Instead of them being there when you need them, they actually make things worse.
Unfaithful people hurt people that depend on them.
Maybe you lost a loved one and expected a relative to help you with the arrangements; however, because they were unfaithful they let you down by not doing what they said they’d do. Unfaithful people are often times worse than being alone. A wise man once said, “If people are unfaithful to you it is because they are unfaithful to God. The most faithful people you’ll meet in life are those who are most faithful to God.”
When you’re alone, you know you’re alone and understand everything rises and falls on you. However, when someone says they are going to help and then they don’t, it makes your life harder because you then have to make last minute arrangements to cover their job. I tell people all the time as a pastor, “Don’t make a commitment that you can’t keep. I’d rather do it myself then to expect you to be there and for you not to show up.”
On one hand, we should be patient with people when they are trying to help us the best way they know how. On the other hand, we should avoid asking unfaithful people for help because they really don’t care. Moving forward we should make sure we are not unfaithful to others and avoid relying upon unfaithful people in our times of need.
The solution to unfaithful people is faithfulness. It is a fruit of the Spirit that God will develop in all those who are born again when they ask for it. Therefore, if Jesus (“The Faithful One”) is on the inside of you, you can be a faithful person to those in your life!
Reflection
Action
- Pray and ask God if you need to repent for any unfaithfulness you might have had in the past.
- Take note of any unfaithful people in your life that are causing you pain.
- By the grace of God, strive to be a faithful person and avoid relying on unfaithful people in your life.
