Leave The Dog’s Ears Alone!

• If two dogs were fighting in the street, would you jump between them to stop them?

• How do you know when it’s wise to get between two people who are quarreling?

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

Imagine seeing a stray dog by the side of the road. Then imagine walking up to it and grabbing it by its ears. Not a smart move!

This proverb uses a dogfight as a metaphor for other people’s arguments. Getting involved in them is also not a smart move.

Police officers are often called to homes where two people are fighting. When the police officer tries to stand between them to stop the fight, he or she is in danger of being attacked by both of them.

Sometimes we think we need to help out by stepping into the middle of an argument, but this is a dangerous habit, according to the proverb. Instead of helping to solve the argument, we might just get hurt ourselves.

If we want to help someone who is caught in an argument, the best thing that we can do is to pray for them and advise them to take their problem to a person who is trained in counseling.

PRAYER
Dear God, please help us to keep our noses out of other people’s business and to recognize the difference between being helpful and being a busybody. We pray for our friends or family who are in disagreement and ask you to bring peace between them. Amen.