Iron Sharpens Iron

Let me start by saying I hate when people say, “Iron sharpens iron,” particularly if they say it in a moment I don’t want my iron sharpened. Yes, I said that. Right when I was thinking about having my iron sharpened I received a Facebook memory from a friend who had said just that years ago when I was teaching a very difficult student. You already know my response. I was asking God why He was punishing me, and she was saying that this student was sharpening me and making me stronger. She was right. Little did I know I would soon be elevated from that position and required to do so much more both professionally and within my local ministry. Fast forward a few years when I was working for an amazing professional I have written about before. The first time I recognized my iron being sharpened, it was from the bottom up. This time my iron would be sharpened from the top down. Have you ever noticed that often God sends you a gift and you don’t always recognize the gift immediately? God sent this highly motivated and hardworking professional to sharpen my iron. She taught me a spirit of excellence I did not know was within me. Over the past few weeks I’ve had other iron sharpening moments, and yes, internally I rolled my eyes. Outwardly I looked up to heaven and thanked God for using those moments to sharpen my iron because this is just an indication of more elevation!