Are You Sharp?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iwjtVNNVG4

Cages ~ We the Kingdom

As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another. ~ Proverbs 27:17

Over the past few weeks, Proverbs 27:17 keeps coming up in my studies. I think people like the idea of this verse, but when it really comes down to it, we shy away from it. The Bible App depicts this verse as an axe head being sharpened by a sharpening stone, with sparks flying from the point of friction. The friction, I believe, is the main reason we tend to steer clear of relationships, or opportunities, that would lend to making us stronger, better, sharper, and more godly versions of ourselves. Friction hurts! 

In a time of easy, quick-fixes to whatever ails us, we don’t want to invest in something that will likely bring discomfort, even if it will help, heal, and/or sharpen us. We then find ourselves in a paradox.

• In opening ourselves up to others, we risk our trust being shattered.

• In removing our masks, putting aside the facade, and coming out of our cages, we risk getting hurt.

• In giving love away, we risk being rejected.

But on the flipside…

• Opening ourselves up to others allows us to be known by them and them by us.

• Removing our masks, putting aside the facade, and coming out of our cages affords us the opportunity for real relationships where intimacy and trust are built.

• Giving love away creates room in our hearts to receive more of God’s love, character, and spiritual fruit.

When we’re not in relationships that, lovingly, challenge us, we will grow dull over time. When we become dull, we tend to withdraw, believing the lie that we’re of no use to others. But when we allow our “dull” selves to be surrounded by and open up to others, the dullness starts getting removed. Then, not only do we become sharper, we also get excited about and seek out others whom we can help sharpen.

The first few steps in anything new are always the hardest, because they involve the greatest risk. But if we want to live Proverbs 27:17 lives, then we must be willing to step outside of ourselves, leave the quick-fixes behind, and get closer to sharpening stones--people who love God, live for Him, and are wanting to invest in you. We need each other!

As iron sharpens iron…

©Heather Potts 2021

My Mask Smells Like a Diaper

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ejs2o-uhu4&list=RD-Ejs2o-uhu4&start_radio=1&t=12

No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus ~ Steffany Gretzinger

 

O God, you are my God,

earnestly I seek you;

My soul thirsts for you,

My body longs for you,

In a dry and weary land

Where there is no water.

~ Psalm 63:1 NIV

 

Have you ever had one of those days? The kind when you’re already running late for school and your kid suddenly can’t find their water bottle. You find the water bottle and dash out to the car, where she tells you she forgot her snow boots. You finally make it to school with the water bottle and snow boots, only to learn her glasses are in the bathroom and her lunch is on the kitchen counter…

 

Or maybe it was on Sunday: Everyone is up on-time, but as you’re trying to walk out the door, your younger child cries because her older sibling isn’t going to kids’ ministry, so she won’t, either. You rush around finding (and filling) water bottles, and scramble to make sure the kids have something to do – since they’ve both decided to sit in the sanctuary with you. Everyone is certain their masks are in the car, so out you go, hoping to still make it to church on-time. But then in the car, one child can’t find her mask. It’s OK, because you have spares, but she doesn’t like those. After digging through the console, you think you’ve found a winner until she says, “My mask smells like a diaper…”

 

While those examples were meant to add some humor to your day, some days feel really rough. Honestly, I wasn’t laughing in those moments (though looking back, they were hilarious). It’s the hard days that can really leave you feeling dry and weary. If you read Psalms, you’ll see David understood those days. But still, “in a dry and weary land where there is no water,” he longed and thirsted for the Lord, alone.

 

Jesus promised, “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst,” (John 4:14). If you’ve been feeling dry and weary, it’s time to turn to the One who offers us living water. For only in Him will you find refreshing and strength to persevere.

©Heather Potts 2021