July 6 2018 – Click here to listen
One day many years ago my wife decided that she would make some homemade biscuits from scratch as a treat for the family. We loved biscuits and gravy with dried beef mixed in and we were all waiting in eager anticipation for this breakfast feast. When she served the biscuits, I noticed a clinking sound when I dropped one on my plate. Further investigation revealed that her homemade biscuit was as hard as a brick. I picked one up and “clinked” my knife on it a couple of times and both of my boys picked up on it and did likewise forming a little drummer’s ensemble.
Everyone was amused but my wife.
I owned a little bulldog puppy and had appropriately named him “Bully”. He was a tough little rascal and like most bulldogs expended tremendous energy and consequently had an enormous appetite. He also had a bulldog grip and could literally crush bone with his tremendous jaw strength. I walked outside and called “Bully” over and gave him one of the biscuits. He tried to pick it up and then set it down. He nudged it with his nose and sniffed it suspiciously and then walked away with a disgusted look on his face. My boys and I roared with laughter; even “Bully” would not eat one of my wife’s truly homemade biscuits. My son has been on vacation and visiting us over the 4th and brought this incident up again at the breakfast table yesterday. We had another good laugh about it as we have done time and again for a couple of decades now.
I was thinking that if we see someone pursuing a familiar course that didn’t work the first time, that it might prove helpful if a loving friend gently reminded us of past problems. I must warn you however, that I tried this with my wife as she was preparing to make biscuits and gravy again and when I reminded her of the incident with “Bully,” she was not even slightly amused nor appreciative.
Nonetheless the good outcome cannot be denied; she has consistently used premade biscuit mix since and let me tell you brothers and sisters, they are good. They are so delicious in fact, I’m thinking maybe it’s better to incur a little wrath and avoid a shipwreck now and then; so don’t be too hesitant to offer some advice to a friend who is heading down a familiar path leading to disaster. Some will appreciate it and others will get mad and stew, but a true friend will take some risks to counsel a friend to help keep them on course. Who knows, perhaps your boldness and candor will earn you a nice reward such as some tasty biscuits in the process.
Proverbs 17:17
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!