“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
Apparently, the trick to sharpening iron with iron is this… the iron that is doing the sharpening must be stronger than the iron that needs to be sharpened.
Apparently, the trick to sharpening iron with iron is this… the iron that is doing the sharpening must be stronger than the iron that needs to be sharpened.
Let’s face it, we all have areas in our life in which we are strong. And we all have areas in our life in which we need to be strengthened. Areas in which we are weak or dull, areas in which someone else is much stronger than us. According to this proverb those who are strong in an area can help strengthen those who are weak or dull in that area. And that, my friends, is why I blog. That is why I spend so much time pouring over other people’s blogs. That is why a blog like “Blogs by Christian Women” is so important. Because together we are strong, and together we help sharpen one another.
My name is Tami and I am the new Content Manager for BCW. I couldn’t be more excited! It is such an honor to write beside all you amazing bloggers out there. There is no doubt in my mind that I have been strengthened and sharpened by this blog and the wisdom that is shared here. It is my hope and my prayer that I, in turn, might be able to strengthen and sharpen some of you.
You can read more about me and all the team members in the “Meet the Bloggers”link to the left of this post, or follow me at http://seminarychic.blogspot.com.
But back to our proverb. Pick an area of your life, any area at all in which you feel you might be weak (your faith, diet, discipline or self control, finances, time management, anything) Now ask yourself, have you surrounded yourself with people who are strong in this area?
For me, too often, that answer is no. I tend to surround myself with people who are just like me, it is far more comfortable to surround myself with people who are also weak in the areas I am weak. That is what I did for a large part of my life. But guess what? I wasn’t growing or changing or getting any sharper. I was stagnate. It wasn’t until my husband and I got involved in a neighborhood Bible study almost 12 years ago that I felt myself truly getting stronger for the first time in my life. The people in this Bible study were on fire for Christ, full of wisdom and knowledge, discipline and full devotion. ALL the things I lacked. But slowly, very, very slowly their strength began to strengthen me. They sharpened my faith.
When I decided it was time to get healthy, I recruited two friends to be my running partners. I knew I would need to follow someone who was stronger than me, more disciplined, who would make me get out of bed long before any human should, if I really wanted to do this. And they did, they strengthened me, sharpened my physical health.
It is important to note that in the process of sharpening both pieces of iron are changed. There will be times when you are the one being sharpened, in those instances change is obvious. But there will be other times, when you are doing the sharpening, pay close attention during these times and you will see that you too are changed and sharpened in the process.
“Like iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another.”
But back to our proverb. Pick an area of your life, any area at all in which you feel you might be weak (your faith, diet, discipline or self control, finances, time management, anything) Now ask yourself, have you surrounded yourself with people who are strong in this area?
For me, too often, that answer is no. I tend to surround myself with people who are just like me, it is far more comfortable to surround myself with people who are also weak in the areas I am weak. That is what I did for a large part of my life. But guess what? I wasn’t growing or changing or getting any sharper. I was stagnate. It wasn’t until my husband and I got involved in a neighborhood Bible study almost 12 years ago that I felt myself truly getting stronger for the first time in my life. The people in this Bible study were on fire for Christ, full of wisdom and knowledge, discipline and full devotion. ALL the things I lacked. But slowly, very, very slowly their strength began to strengthen me. They sharpened my faith.
When I decided it was time to get healthy, I recruited two friends to be my running partners. I knew I would need to follow someone who was stronger than me, more disciplined, who would make me get out of bed long before any human should, if I really wanted to do this. And they did, they strengthened me, sharpened my physical health.
It is important to note that in the process of sharpening both pieces of iron are changed. There will be times when you are the one being sharpened, in those instances change is obvious. But there will be other times, when you are doing the sharpening, pay close attention during these times and you will see that you too are changed and sharpened in the process.
“Like iron sharpens iron, so one man (or woman) sharpens another.”
