As Iron Sharpens Iron

As Iron Sharpens Iron So One Man Sharpens Another (Proverbs 27:17)
God has blessed me by placing many really great men in my life. Family members, friends from school, church, work and so on. From every man I learned something.
I was attending the funeral of the wife of a friend. My friend’s son-in-law was speaking about beginning to date his daughter. The young couple had very little money and often could not afford a “real date”. Invariably, the daughter of my friend would suggest, “Let’s go to mom and dad’s and just hang out.” The first time this suggestion was made, the young man thought how odd this would be, this “just hanging out” with her mom and dad – until he took her up on the suggestion. As he told the story, there were little and older brothers and sisters there and they “laughed together” – something this young man had not regularly experienced in a family setting. They told stories, and played games and then told some more stories and ate and then laughed. From this man, I learned the deep, deep value of family over anything the world had to offer and the immense value of laughter in the family. He sharpened me.
In another case, a friend of mine got very sick. He kept working, kept going to church and kept attending both the class and leaders meetings of a bible study we enjoyed together. He clearly did not have his normal energy level, he was quieter, less involved in discussion than he had always been – but he kept coming, kept fulfilling the responsibilities he had accepted in spite of obviously feeling very bad. When I would ask him how he was feeling, he just said “I’m ok”. A few months later, when I would ask he said “My numbers are better”. I didn’t know what this meant, but he praised the Lord – so I did as well. He eventually fully recovered but not without a pretty long period of true suffering. He never stopped one thing for which he had accepted responsibility – not one. Oh, let me add, he was a deacon in his church and primary care giver to his elderly mom. Did not drop one ball – did not miss anything he was called to do. From this man I learned that when you take on responsibility – you do what you said you would do. What a faithful man he was and is today. He sharpened me.
While there are so many others, let me conclude by mentioning just one more man. I saw him walk closely with God by living out the scripture. I don’t have any one instance to mention, but I have a lifetime of instances that I could mention. He just lived His love for Christ because he understood Christ’s love for him. I should say “he had an understanding of Christ’s love because this man would quickly say that Christ’s love for man was beyond our understanding. He taught me the truth beginning in 1976 and inspired me to open my life to the truth of salvation. Under his teaching, I became a Christian that year. Under his informal mentorship, I observed, learned, questioned, grew and came closer to Christ. Upon his death two weeks ago, I again longed to be like him, to emulate all the characteristics of Christ I saw in him, to live life just like he lived it. Yet at his funeral, I had to set all that aside. It was wrong! In fact, it was not his way, because I learned it was not God’s way. One pastor speaking at his funeral took us to a life changing verse. Hebrews 13:7, “Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” I remembered Carl Wenger; he spoke the word of God to me. I had considered the outcome of his life – his kindness, his joy, his patience, his. . . Yet I was seeking to imitate Carl when I should be seeking to imitate his faith – faith in the one he loved, Jesus the Christ the Son of the living God. He sharpened me. But now I realize that the real sharpening comes not from imitation of a faithful man, but imitation of a faithful man’s faith in Christ. Now my goal is different.
I am thankful for these and other men. Their contributions to my life’s progress are immeasurable. But now I know that all the imitation of man in the world is hollow unless it is sourced in faith in Him who saved us. The Real Sharpener – Jesus the Christ.