Reading through the book of Proverbs this month I came across a little ditty that reminded me much of the little scab wounds.

To gross out your friends by making scabs you can indeed peel off your skin and eat -- follow these simple directions.

Step #1

The key to all of this of course is your fake scab material. I prefer to use dried fruit of some sort. Actually many of the fruit roll-up type snacks (you know the nasty tasting "fruit leather" you peel of plastic and are supposed to enjoy) will work great. You can't use any of the neon colors, you need to find the nasty grape and raspberry colors (something with texture).

Step #2

Tear a piece of fruit roll up to the desired size and shape of your "scab". Knead the fruit between your fingers until it becomes pliable and rather sticky (sometimes a bit of water helps).

Step #3

Apply the fruit to your body -- preferably someplace a scab would most likely occur like on your elbow or knee.

Step#4

Dress it up a bit with a band-aid or some gauze -- remember realism is essential! A bit of strawberry jam smoothed over it will make the wound appear fresh.

SHOWTIME!

Take a moment to show a friend your wound by removing gauze/band aid. Don't let them get too close. Then -- begin to pick at the scab with a dirty fingernail. After lifting the scab off the flesh a bit -- pull it off and insert into your mouth and chew -- offer some to your friend if they haven't already tossed their cookies.

What this has to do with God's Word

Proverbs 27:6 "Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses."

Have you ever noticed that the people that hurt you most are the people who love you the most? It is true -- isn't it?

The reason this happens is because those who love us most know us best. They know how to push our buttons. But even when we get angry, love is still the base of the relationship.

Sometimes, those who love us most only seem to hurt us. Perhaps they are the only ones willing to tell us the truth. As embarrassing (or hurtful) as it may seem, wouldn't you like to know the truth if:

* Your Body odor was so bad everyone could smell it

* You had a booger hanging out of your nose

* You offended someone and didn't realize it

* You repeatedly make a fool out of yourself by certain things you say

Of course you would! But nobody except a close friend will tell you these things. It might hurt to know people laugh at you behind your back -- but I'd like to know so I can correct a problem or learn from the situation. These are wounds from friends and we can trust them to be in our best interest -- even though we might not like to hear them.

People who don't care about you surely won't care enough to correct you or help you. They'd rather keep watching you make the same mistakes over and over again -- it makes them look better. They flatter us with their kisses.

Often God uses our parents to show us real problems n our life. My dad once told me I was lazy and that he was concerned that I was developing bad habits. I thought he was crazy. When I told my friends what my dad had said, they disagreed. They took my side.

But my dad was right! I needed to work harder. My friends did not love me as much as my father did. Even though he hurt me, he was showing his love. We need to find friends like that! Friends whom we can trust when they wound us -- or eat a wound in front of us!