Proverbs 27:6

6Faithful are the wounds of a friend,
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
-Proverbs 27:6

There have been many times that I have received harsh rebukes from those closest to me. They have strung and I have walked away with wounds from them. But those wounds served a purpose to remove me from bad situations and helped me see critical blind spots. While my friends wounded me in giving rebukes, my enemies gave sweetness. "Oh you are doing just fine. They're being dramatic. You don't need to change that. It's more comfortable this way." Promises of emptiness were given but they seemed oh so sweet. But it is all deceit. We like to have our ears tickled and will often find ourselves between a friend that offers rebuke and an enemy that tells us what we want to hear. We must consider the place they come from. We must consider the content of what they say. We would do well to heed the rebukes of those who see into our lives.