MATURITY CHECK: COVER OR REPEAT
PROVERBS 17:9
PROVERBS 17:9 NKJV
9 He who covers a transgression seeks love,
But he who repeats a matter separates friends.
OBSERVATION:
This one will check how mature we are when it comes to walking in love.
Cover over or repeat?
Do you cover over something someone did wrong, or do you repeat their mistake to other people?
I am not finger-pointing here. This one has snapped my picture too many times.
Quite simply, it's easier to repeat what another did wrong. This applies particularly if what they did wrong involved you. We repeat the transgression to justify ourselves. Or to vent our hurt and develop allies for our cause.
If the person we are repeating and reporting the situation to does not need to know, love says we skip it. We cover it. They don't need to know, and we don't need the comfort or pity of another.
The downside of repeating matters that do not concern other people is the damage it can do to their relationships. This proverb says it can actually separate friends. We have the ability to hinder friendships by choosing to repeat instead of cover.
When someone has done us wrong, it's a real challenge to cover. But in covering, we show a Christ-like maturity and are walking in divine love.
When someone has done something wrong, and it had nothing to do with us, we certainly need to cover instead of repeat. Basically, repeating the matter is an attempt to make ourselves look better. After all, we would never do something like that. This gets into dangerous territory. We don't ever want to be involved with gossip, slander, or judging. So, cover and stay clear.
We are all growing. That's the goal. And a big part of our growth as followers of Christ is how we treat people. Jesus said His new commandment was to love as He loved. That's His commandment and the way others can see that we are His disciples. (John 13:34-35)
PRAYER:
Lord, forgive me when I have repeated instead of covering. You have covered for me big time, and I want to be more like You.