"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend." Proverbs 27:17 NLT
“Surround yourself with people that push you to be a stronger version of yourself! Set out to run a 5k for a free donut this morning...ended up running 12 miles." Those were the words my friend, Angi Betran, posted Saturday upon being prodded to join the group of mutual friends I was running with to keep going after completing the ‘5k for a free donut’ run alongside her. “Come on Angi!” we said. "We have water and food for you. It will be fun! Let's hit the trails for some more miles." Not one to miss out on on some 'fun,' Angie was in. And while we definitely pushed one another physically as we ran mile after mile, we also pushed one another mentally by sharing tips on how to keep a positive mindset when things got hard—acknowledging that positivity was the key to success in long-distance running and in life. And that's the glorious thing about surrounding yourself with optimistic and upbeat people... they indeed push you to be a stronger version of yourself.
And you know, when it comes to the benefits of surrounding ourselves with positive like-minded believers who are striving to become more like Christ (aka better versions of themselves), the Bible tells us that just as "iron sharpens iron... a friend sharpens a friend." To understand this better, consider that for an iron tool to sharpen an iron tool, there must be at least two pieces of iron. A lone piece of iron can't sharpen itself right? That's why the Lord gave us friends. Together, through sharpening conversations, texts, messages and emails, we grow in our faith and help our friends to do the same. Friends also strengthen, uplift and inspire one another to keep pressing on when the Christian walk gets tough.
So if you have friends like this, count your blessings! But if you don't, I would encourage you to seek some out. After all, every one of us needs someone else to hold us accountable, to cheer us on, to pray for us, and to help us find answers to the questions that will help us grow in our faith.
Heavenly Father, thank You for the reminder that we weren't meant to run this race alone. In fact, help us to understand how impossible it is to reach the finish line without the help of the fellow believers You bring into our lives. Help us also to do our part in sharpening our brothers and sisters that we all might be better for the time we have together. It's in your precious name we pray Jesus. Amen.
Happy Running!!!
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