Dog Ears - Proverbs 26:17

Proverbs 26:17 Like one who grabs a stray dog by the ears is someone who rushes into a quarrel not their own. (NIV)

Sometimes the Bible makes me laugh out loud, especially with some verses from the Book of Proverbs. It’s full of common-sense wisdom which, at one time, must have been based on real events. Take today’s highlighted verse, for instance. Some foolish person must have been seen grabbing a stray dog by the ears and ended up becoming a victim of their own stupidity. I can imagine the barking and biting that went down as the dog fought back against its assailant. Whoever initially did this hopefully learned a hard lesson that he would not repeat.

This also reminded me of how easily we all get caught up in social media conflicts when we cannot resist throwing in our two cents worth of opinionated replies to posts that we disagree with or don’t like. I wish that I could say that I am able to resist the temptation, but there are some days when someone writes something that I don’t accept and, before long, I get caught up in a war of words, ideas, and beliefs. Perhaps if I changed my profile picture to a fierce looking dog with big ears, I might be able to save myself from my own stupidity!

The Bible is a great book full of knowledge and wisdom that can be applied in so many different, but still relevant ways. Maybe if we meditated more on God’s Word each day instead of checking up on the latest posts and replies on social media, we could avoid the pitfalls and conflicts that we each foolishly create. On my laptop, I have taped a reminder of this which reads: “Don’t react to negative posts on Facebook; respond positively to the good ones!” In other words, don't grab a stray dog by the ears 😊

Q: Have I written something positive on social media today? Have I complimented someone else for doing this?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, remind us that we actually witness to You in all that we write or reply to on social media. Keep us from stirring up or stoking conflicts and instead help us to encourage those who add positive thoughts and worthy posts to our screens. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and join us for worship on Sunday mornings at 11:00 AM. You will be made very welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s latest Pentecost drawings called ‘Spirit 2019.’ If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Spirit.