Mind Your Own Business

Like one who seizes a dog by the earsis a passer-by who meddles in a quarrel not his own.

Proverbs 26:17 (NIV)

The dictionary definition of meddle is “to interfere, to involve oneself in a matter without right or invitation.” Some things are just not our business, are they? It is the passer-by person who certainly has no business in someone else’s business. And so who are the passers-by? They are the people who have not done their homework. They just come, look at the surface of things, and think they can give a quick opinion, quick fix, or decision without knowing both sides or really all the information.

A passer-by is someone who has no vested interest. Now this is more than just being neutral. They really do not care about the long-term effect.

A passer-by is someone who is there for a moment and then moves on. They are not willing or able to be part of the solution.

And so our proverb wisely advises us today, mind your own business.

But then I feel a burden to say there is one thing that you can do. Pray. There are far too many relationships around us, even among Christians, that are fractured. Pray. If you really do care, if you want to make a difference, pray. Sometimes we need to be more than a passer-by. There is a time to be silent, but then there is a time to get involved and speak the truth in love.

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Meddling—maybe you have never used that word before. Are you a mother-in-law? Oh, how tempting it is to give your unsolicited opinion. My mom was the perfect example of wisdom regarding this. In her over forty years of being a mother-in-law, I never once heard her say anything critical about her sons-in-law. She made it clear to her three daughters that she was not our sounding board for marital griping. We needed to work it out. My grandma used to say, “Too many cooks spoil the stew.”

One Year Bible Reading

Jeremiah 51:1-53; Titus 2:1-15; Psalm 99:1-9; Proverbs 26:17