DAUGHTERS OF THE LEECH
PROVERBS 30:15 NKJV
The leech has two daughters—
Give and Give!
There are three things that are never satisfied,
Four never say, "Enough!":
Okay, this title sounds like a horror movie from the 50s. Instead of Creatures of the Swamp, we have Daughters of the Leech.
The Lord has to have a sense of humor. I mean, out of nowhere, we get this proverb. But as we look closer, we see that there is a deeper meaning.
A leech is a bloodsucking worm. A leech is also defined as a follower who hangs around a host (without benefit to the host) in hope of gain or advantage.
Aside from the total creepiness of a bloodsucking worm, the second definition can apply to people.
There are some people that will pull and pull on you without giving anything back. Sad to say, these are people who can literally drain you of energy and time, and there is no sense of replenishment.
Now if some people are coming to your mind, stop that thought. We have to check ourselves first to make sure we are refreshing and not draining the people in our lives. Paul spoke of Onesiphorus as being a person who refreshed him. And Paul asked for God to grant mercy to this man (2 Tim 1:16)
If we are honest, all of us have a bit of leech in us. It's the nature of our flesh to be selfish. But if we look at selfishness as leeching, maybe that visual will help us resist being self-centered and refresh others instead.
How do we deal with those who are not resisting and are straight-up daughters of the leech?
Be willing to say no to their requests. Be willing to establish boundaries for your time and energy.
And pray for them. They can spiritually grow out of being a leech.
One more thing. I have used the metaphor of a leech for illustration purposes only. Do not refer to anyone as a daughter or son of a leech.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me eliminate all leechiness in my own life. Help me be one who refreshes others. (1 Corinthians 16:18)