The Sharpening

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." — Proverbs 27:17
 
Are you letting anyone get close enough to sharpen you?
 
If God wants to make you sharp and useful as a cutting tool for His kingdom's work, you know what He'll do? He'll bring somebody else into your life.
 
And you know how you sharpen a knife? There's gotta be pressure. There's gotta be tension. There's gotta be close connection.
 
Many of us never get sharpened because we don't allow someone to get that close to us.
 
We keep people at arm's length. We protect ourselves from vulnerability. We curate an image instead of cultivating authenticity. And we stay dull.
 
God knows how to bring someone into your life who will not always be a yes-man. He will bring someone who will be used by the Spirit of God to help you take the next step—to give you a perspective you hadn't thought of before.
 
That's what small groups do. That's what real friendships provide. Not comfortable affirmation of everything you think and do, but honest, loving pressure that shapes you into something sharper.
 
"Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses" (Proverbs 27:6).
 
You and I need people in our lives who will tell us the truth—even when it's uncomfortable. People who love us enough to create friction.
 
Are you letting anyone that close? Or are you protecting yourself from the very process God uses to make you useful?
 
Open up. Let someone in. Get sharpened.