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As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.

Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.

You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another.

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.

[Proverbs 27:17]

I’ve been pondering this single scripture this morning. Thinking about the relationships I have here in Valdosta. It’s been almost 2 years since we’ve moved here and I can honestly say that I have a handful of “iron” friends. Honestly, because of the way I’m wired, I’m not really looking for more.

Sure, I’m friendly to people, but there are only a few who are in “my circle” - my closest confidants. These are my go to guys and gals. My journey mates. My life friends.

I was listening to Francis Chan talk about the Church the other day (ht: Chris Baker), and my mind was literally blown. Not in the sense that I had never heard what he was talking about, because I read about it every time I read Acts. But I was blown away by the fact that a church that has thousands of people, has 5 services, and is probably capable of raising enough capital to do anything they want has decided to build an outdoor amphitheater instead of a multi-million dollar mega facility for a gathering place. They want to use the resources that they save to feed the poor, to help the community, to make a difference in OTHER’s lives.

Amazing. Biblical. Wow.

One part that really struck me though was when he began to talk about taking care of each other. He mentioned that if anything ever happened to his associate pastor that he would take care of his family. That HE would be their life insurance! As I began to think on that, I realized that there are a few people in my life that I trust that would do that for me. And I begin to wander down the trail of thinking about me…

Would I do that for someone else?

After much thought, the answer is yes. I would.

But what I wrestled with, was that at first it wasn’t a natural thought. I had to rationalize it. I had to make sense of it. But I believe God plopped that whole line of thinking in my lap for one reason:

To make me think. To evaluate. To ponder.

And so I did. And here I am.

God help me to be there, to be a true friend, to my brothers and sisters in You.

For good times.

And bad times.

I’ll be on your side forevermore.

That’s what friends are for.