Bully and the biscuit

One day my wife decided that she would make some truly homemade biscuits as a treat for the family. We loved biscuits and gravy with dried beef mixed in and we were all waiting in eager anticipation of 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. Everyone was amused but my wife.


I owned a little bulldog puppy and had appropriately named him “Bully”. Bully 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 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. Through many years our family has looked back and reflected upon this incident and laughed about it.

I had a long conversation with a friend recently and in fact he is receiving therapy twice a week and is quite unhappy. He did something very wrong for which he is deeply ashamed and he cannot get over it. My advice was to live each day to its fullest and look towards tomorrow and not try to relive and dwell in the past. I told him that Jesus Christ forgave us of “all” of our sins and we need to forgive ourselves too. We cannot change the past; however we can shape the future. I would need to see a therapist every day of the week if I dwelled on my sordid past I tell you. We just need to let it go because we cannot change it one whit. Think of how poor Paul who had martyred Christians must have felt. I’m sure God convinced him to look to the future and what a future he had writing more of the New Testament than anyone else. Great things can be accomplished if we are willing to forgive ourselves our sins and walk with God.

This is not to say that we should ignore the past entirely. Lessons learned the hard way are the best lessons and we will not likely make those same mistakes ever again if we reflect upon them when necessary. My advice to my good friend was to look back, but only when faced with a similar situation or temptation and to remember that there are consequences to such poor behavior.

I was thinking that it might also prove helpful if a loving friend helped to remind us of past problems and point this out if we see someone pursuing a familiar course that got them into trouble once before; however I must warn you that I tried this with my wife when she was preparing to make biscuits and gravy and when I reminded her of the incident with Bully, she was not at all appreciative. (To say the least) Nonetheless she has consistently used biscuit mix since and let me tell you brothers and sisters, they are good. It may be better to incur a little wrath to avoid a shipwreck; 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.

Timothy 1:13
Although I was formerly a blasphemer,
a persecutor, and an
insolent man; but I obtained mercy
because I did it ignorantly in
unbelief.
And the grace of our Lord was
exceedingly abundant with faith
and love which are in Christ Jesus.