The Untied Lace
Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Proverbs 27:6 KJV
This is an original fictional illustration, not a historical report or an added Bible event.
Liam was ready to race. His friend Ruby pointed at his shoe and told him to stop. Liam thought she was trying to slow him down.
Then he looked. One lace was loose beneath his foot. He tied it before the race began and thanked Ruby for speaking up.
A good friend does not always say what we want to hear. Sometimes a friend points out a problem because it matters. Proverbs teaches that loving correction is better than words that sound sweet but hide an unkind purpose.
Listen when someone kindly helps you see a mistake. You can be thankful even when you need to stop and fix it.
For the grown-up reading along
The proverb contrasts faithful correction from a friend with an enemy's deceptive affection. Loving honesty can be uncomfortable. It does not excuse cruelty, insults, or physical harm in the name of correction.
Read the KJV passage aloud. Explain unfamiliar words in ordinary language without changing the quotation.
Read further: Proverbs 27 in the King James Bible.