Sharpen One Another
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Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”
1 Samuel 23:16 – “And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God.”
1 Thessalonians 5:11 – “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”
My favorite way to play disc golf is with my son. Many times, when we are playing, one of us have a “bad” round and our attitude tends to follow it. As my son has grown, we have experienced this idea of sharpening one another. We played a doubles tournament together this summer and between the rain and the 25 mile-in-hour wind things went south quick for us. The greatest lesson learned from that day was not that we managed to grind it out and place 6th but it was the way that we encouraged each other and, yes, even had to call each other out for our reactions to bad throws and missed puts. We look back on that day with fond memories because we helped each other refocus and remember that we represented our Heavenly Father on the course.
Jonathan was a great example of this idea. He understood that David had been anointed to be king instead of him. He knew the struggles David was going through – fear for his life, knowing he was to take the thrown from his best friend, uncertain direction in his life. Jonathan became that friend who encouraged and strengthened David to be faithful to God. The term “strengthen” in 1 Samuel 23:16 holds the thought of making one to be strong or to stand firm. He strengthened David in God.
Reflection 1: Who can we strengthen in God this week? Proverbs27:17 says it is like sharpening a knife. This process is a destructive process that tears off some of the metal so the blade can thin out and become sharp. Are we willing to encourage someone and even challenge them to refocus on God when they are struggling to stay faithful? Just like those moments we are tempted to lose our testimony on the course and are in need of a friend to challenge us, spiritually we need the same thing.
Reflection 2: Who is that “Iron” for you? Is there a person in your life that knows you well enough to strengthen you in God?
Tim Tanner PDGA #294446