Proverbs 27:14 “Iron sharpens iron; so one man sharpens another.”

TAKE THE EDGE OFF

Have you ever watched someone put an edge on a blade of steel?  When I was growing up we had to keep our lawn mower blades sharp.  My dad taught my brother and I how to remove the blades safely and use the grinding wheel to sharpen them.  We had to be careful taking them off, so we wouldn’t cut ourselves.  But we had to be extra careful when we put them back on.  Now they were especially sharp.

And when we put those blades to the grinding wheel to sharpen, what do you think happened?  Sparks!  It looked like those sparklers you use on July 4^thor New Years.  Sparks flew everywhere.  That was the dull, chipped metal flying off when hit by that grinding stone.  We were “taking the edge off.”

TEACHING MOMENT

 How do we apply this verse to our children? Our children come into this life with no edge.  They can’t cut anything.  As we parent them and teach them the Word of God, we are literally iron upon iron. You may even think your kids are as hard-headed as iron.  That’s good. The harder the iron, the shaper the edge it can hold.

And just like sharpening those mower blades, when we put them to the grinder, sparks will fly.  Don’t be afraid of the sparks.  They quickly go out…unless…you put fuel to them.  Don’t fuel the sparks.  Let them come as you sharpen.  It is just evidence you are knocking off the dull.

I don’t know about you, but I need people in my life to “knock off the dull.”  I need other men who will challenge and confront me.  I need other men who will sharpen me.  I pray you have someone in your life who can do that for you.  If not, find someone.  Ask them to be your grinding stone.

Father, I know I am stubborn and hard-headed much of the time. I want to stay sharp, so do what you must to keep me that way.  I won’t like the process, but I will like the end result.