Drip, Drip, Drip

10 Do not forsake your friend or a friend of your family, and do not go to your relative’s house when disaster strikes you— better a neighbor nearby than a relative far away.
11 Be wise, my son, and bring joy to my heart; then I can answer anyone who treats me with contempt.
12 The prudent see danger and take refuge, but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.
13 Take the garment of one who puts up security for a stranger; hold it in pledge if it is done for an outsider.
14 If anyone loudly blesses their neighbor early in the morning, it will be taken as a curse.
15 A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm;
16 restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand.

Some people are quarrelsome and contentious—and their ­actions are not gender-specific. Probably all of us know the challenge of dealing with people who are constantly quarreling or picking arguments. They can be difficult.

Think of the constant dripping from a leaky roof that allows rainwater to puddle somewhere overhead before it drops down into your room. The storm may be over and the sun already shining, but the water continues to drip, drip, drip. Similarly, with a contentious person, there’s often a nagging “drip, drip, drip” that continues long after a quarrel has ended. There’s just no letting up!

Jesus’ followers recognize that quarrelsome people hinder healthy relationships. Church families become unfriendly and uncomfortable when contentious people have influence or take up leadership positions. Certainly disagreements have their place, but intimacy can be restored only if there’s ­honest communication followed by repentance and forgiveness. There’s no place for constant dripping.

God’s Word wisely prescribes, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Ephesians 5:21). Submission begins with listening and knowing when to reconcile because we love Jesus. He expects it.

Lord, we need help to communicate honestly with each other, especially when we disagree. Help us to listen and look for your way of seeing things. In your name, Amen.