| “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” |
| —Proverbs 27:17 (NLT) |
When I was about nine years old, I became aware of the fact that I really didn’t have any close friends. I did have a few young people at church toward whom I felt friendly, but I didn’t see them outside of church. Looking back, i was every bit as much of an oddball as I am today. I chuckle when I think: “No wonder other children found me strange and off-putting.”
One day, I decided to talk to my dad about my observation that I really didn’t have any close friends. While my father had quit school in the tenth grade, I later came to realize he was a very smart man—actually a very wise man. He had served in the U. S. Marine Corps during World War II. At the rather ripe old age of 35 when he entered the Corps, he was a father figure to many of the young, new inductees.
“I think you will find, son,” he told me, “that some people seem to have lots of friends. What they really have is lots of acquaintances. They may seem gregarious and easily attract people, but they’re actually quite shallow. You will likely only have a very few real friends. But, these will be friends who add a depth and balance to your life. They will have value in your life beyond measure.”
My dad’s prediction has come true. I am still not very socially attractive to most people. But, for a very, very few people who seem to particularly enjoy my uniqueness and have chosen to be my genuine friends, we have great value in each other’s lives.
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we truly do have inestimable value in the lives of our truest friends. King Solomon clearly understood this when he wrote these words in Proverbs 27:17 (NLT):
As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.
Today, let’s celebrate those true friends who appreciate us and challenge us to be the best servants of Christ we can be. Let’s determine to wrap our iron sharpening in the blanket of deep friendship. And, let us declare with all our brothers and sisters in Christ: “Blessed is He who has transformed us, more and more, into His image, to bring glory and honor to His holy name.”
Based on a blog originally posted on Friday, March 18, 2016
