What do your greatest victories in sports, your favorite teachers in school and your greatest accomplishments as a professional, all have in common? Consider the following: On Friday night I watched the football team, at the school where I work, compete against its rival. After our team won, the fans charged the field and celebrated a hard-fought victory. The previous 3 weeks, our team won 42-8, 50-0 and 44-13. By halftime of those wins, most of the starters were out as the games were never in doubt. When those games were over nobody charged the field and none of the players or coaches will likely consider those victories to be the most memorable in their football careers. Why? It seems to have something to do with the challenge. Our rival provided an incredible challenge to our team. We hadn’t beaten them in 3 years and the game wasn’t decided until the final minute of play. I think it’s the same with our favorite teachers. My favorite teachers in school were the ones who demanded a great deal from me. Nobody remembers the teacher who let them sleep in class or gave them a free period in place of learning.
What do these examples have in common; the challenge of a football game that lasts until the final moments and the teacher who pushes us to be our best? They both illustrate the meaning of Proverbs 27:17 “As Iron sharpens Iron, so one person sharpens another.”
It seems that our greatest moments in life come from those that sharpen us. And that sharpening seems to come when we are most challenged. Life is hard, but God has designed us in such a way that we can grow from those challenges. Our greatest accomplishments and our most memorable victories typically come when we are pushed by another. We are called to live and work in community with others, but that sometimes means we will be faced with people who don’t think as we think or do what we’d like them to do. Instead of viewing them as an annoyance or a problem to be dealt with, today’s proverb suggests that the people who present the greatest challenges to us can sharpen us; make us better; even draw us nearer to being the people God has designed us to be. This week may we look at our most challenging colleagues, students, even our opponents, as an opportunity to grow us. May we always seek God’s wisdom and guidance for ways to be sharpened by those who challenge us the most.
