Iron sharpens Iron

There was once a young pastor who was struggling to make ends meet. He and his wife sat down one night to take another look at their finances, hoping to pinch a little more out of their meager budget. They had already eliminated all the extras; now was the time to look at the grocery list. They clipped coupons and planned cheaper meals. The wife agreed to let her husband take over the shopping, because he had a better skill at comparison shopping. So, he went out to save them money.

He did a good job. He bought items on double-coupon days, during "buy one, get one" sales, and bought their staples in bulk at a warehouse store. They set up a few shelves in their basement to stack the bulk items and the extras they were amassing at cheaper prices.

A few months went by. One day the wife said, "We're out of salt; run down to the basement and bring up a new bag." But when the husband brought up a fresh bag, it was as hard as a rock. A quick look at the other bags in the basement revealed the same problem: the salt had hardened in the damp basement and was useless.

The husband was devastated at the loss: not just the salt, but all his good, money-saving intentions. He felt foolish, and then determined to make it all work somehow. He took the salt to the garage and tried to chip at it with some of his sharp tools. He tried dropping the salt blocks on the concrete floor to break them into smaller chunks. On he went trying to gouge, hack, and otherwise destroy the hard salt bricks. Finally, in a moment of genius or just sheer frustration, he rubbed two salt bricks together. The friction between the two created loosened the grains and salt began to shower slowly on the floor! He got a baking pan to catch the salt as he rubbed them over and over, letting their natural friction do all the work. The only thing that would break down the salt was another block of salt.

There is a proverb that says, " As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Prov. 27:17) We need the exposure and yes, even the friction, of other people to bring out necessary qualities in ourselves. That's why a true friend is so valuable: he is honest with you; she cares about you; he will help you improve; she will want the very best for you.

I've had the privilege this week of visiting friends that moved away to California a few years ago. They are in Maryland for a week due to a family need, and I got to reconnect over a cup of coffee and a lot of conversation. Both of them are dear to me, but especially Sue, because we are made up of the same stuff. We're like two bricks of salt! It takes one of us to rub the hard knots out of the other, and spending time with Sue and Dan brings out a better flavor in me.


Ariel RaineyComment