As Iron Sharpens Iron

As iron sharpens iron,

so one person sharpens another. Proverbs 27: 17

As I prepare for the last meeting of our wonderful summer Bible Study for Moms, we are called to ponder on the proverb above.  I. LOVE. THAT. PROVERB!!!

It is such a powerful image, and it takes me back a million years ago to when I was a little girl in Panama.  I mean, I remember vividly seeing my Dad sharpening knives by rubbing them together, blade against blade.  I remember the sound the blades made when they came in contact with each other.  I remember how scary the whole scene looked:  my Father, standing tall, warning everyone to stay away...A W A Y from him, knife in each hand, exercising enough force to even create the occasional sparks.  He repeated the action many times.  It was quite a sight.  At the end, the knives would be hot and sharp.  Amazing!

I also remember an old man who would walk the streets of my hometown pushing an old-rickety cart with a grinding wheel.  We lived on the outskirts of town, so the old man didn't make it to our neck of the woods too often.  But every so often, he'd pass by, which always sent us kids in a frantic run around the house announcing that the sharpening man was about.  Quickly Rosa and my Mom would carefully gather scissors and other artifacts to take to the guy.  He'd press a pedal and to the sound of metal grinding, sparks would fly until the blades were sharp again.

The thing is, a blade cannot sharpen itself.  And, regardless of how sharp it is when we first get it, a knife, for example, will lose its ability to dice, slice, cube, fillet and perform any other type of cut. They need to be forcefully rubbed against another in order to stay sharp. We, God's children, are the blades.  And, unless we are forcefully rubbed against each other we'd become dull too.    

We will lose our ability to function if we are isolated from our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are meant to be in community and in fellowship.  That's God's design.  He made us in His image, and He is a God of fellowship:  Father, Son and Holy Ghost!  When we are by ourselves, the effects are devastating.  Think about the times when you feel alone...truly lonely...is that a state you enjoy and want to stay in for a long while, say...'till Kingdom come?  No matter how much we think we hate people, we need each other.  Alone time is good for a time...not for ALL the time.  We need human contact, especially fellowship with other believers, hence the call to gather together,

Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10: 25

Look at kids today.  They are displaying one of the world's greatest paradox ever:  they are the most connected generation, yet, they are the loneliest.  Why?  Because they lack human interaction.  They spend their days glued to a screen, watching what others are doing or saying, while they are static and alone on a couch or chair away from humanity.  It's no wonder there is an epidemic of depression among America's youth!  Depresion is the most common mental health disorder among teens, and it's skyrocketing!  We're talking millions.  I saw a statistic that said there were about 3 million kids 12-17 that had at least one depression episode in 2014...I don't even want to know what that statistic is today, 5 years later.

We need God.  And we need each other.  Otherwise, we sink and drown...we can't function...we can't stay sharp...we become dull and lose our purpose.  

At any rate, this business of using iron to sharpen iron is not unlike my memories...though, perhaps not as dramatic as my Dad's thing with the knives and hopefully not as rare as the old man with the grinding wheel passing by my house.  We are the blades.  God is the One who brings us together.  Let's sharpen one another in love.  It is hard work, it might be painful, but once the sparks fly, we'd know we're getting ready for action, sharpening our skills to accomplish our purpose!