Iron on Iron

By: Jenifer Metzger

Iron sharpens iron, and

one person sharpens another.

Proverbs 27:17 CSB

We all need someone to be our iron. Proverbs 27:17 tells us that just as iron sharpens iron, we sharpen each other.

Recently I was chatting with my best friend and she was sharing some steps her family is taking as they are going through a situation. She and her husband didn't see eye to eye in one area. When she told me, it would have been very easy to simply agree with her. To tell her she was right, that I was on her side. However, on this particular situation, I didn't agree with her and I told her so. And she has done the same for me over the years.

Sometimes we want a "yes man" to be in our corner -someone who is always going to agree with us, who is always going to side with us. However, that isn't healthy. We need someone to sharpen us, to speak truth to us, to help us grow.

We need that friend who will call us out when we've done wrong, who will ask us if we've been in the Word, who will ask why we missed church, one who will ask the hard questions even at the risk of temporarily upsetting us. A friend who who loves us enough to sharpen us.

Likewise, we need to be that friend. We need to stop being afraid of offending and start sharpening. When we truly love, we should desire to speak the truth in love. Not in a way that condemns or judges. We aren't point our finger, we are holding out a hand and saying I love you enough to sharpen you.

If you have an iron relationship, thank God for it and cultivate it. If you don't, begin to pray that God would bring someone into your life to be your iron.

Discussion:
1. Do you have a friend who comes to mind when you read Proverbs 27:17? If so, cultivate that relationship! It is so important. If not, begin to pray that God would send you an "iron friend."
2. Think of a situation you've been in like the one I mentioned with my friend. Was it easy to call out your friend or were you afraid? Or maybe you were on the other side, how did you feel?