I'm no blacksmith... but I am a friend.

When I was in elementary school we went to The Erie Canal village. It was a great field trip. We had the chance to watch a blacksmith work really easily with iron... applying heat, twisting and hammering iron until it became a thing of beauty.

Later on in the trip, we each had the chance to try to make a simple S hook. We had the chance to use the bellows to stoke the fire, use tongs to place the iron in the heat until it was red hot. We shaped the hot iron on an anvil with a hammer, dipping it into cooling water so it would retain its shape.



Each one of us was proud of our S shaped piece of metal. None of it looked like the work that the blacksmith did... honestly.

I was thinking about that because relationships have been on my mind lately. Some people are skillful at building meaningful relationships, others... aren't. I think everyone really wants meaningful relationships... but building them can be painful. You have to apply heat, be put into uncomfortable positions. Be willing to be shaped by others.

There's a verse in Proverbs that says: As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. (Prov 27:17 NLT) I think for the first time, I really understand this in a way that I didn't even just a few minutes ago.


We will be shaped by our friends. If you surround yourself by people that hold you accountable and call you to be better... you will become better. If you surround yourself by people who practice deceit, lie, skirt responsibility... you will become... useless.


In 2 Timothy 2:2-3 Paul tells Timothy

2 Timothy, my dear son, be strong through the grace that God gives you in Christ Jesus. 2 You have heard me teach things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Now teach these truths to other trustworthy people who will be able to pass them on to others.

Paul basically says "I have surrounded myself by reliable people who can bear witness to what I say. You teach the same thing to people with good reputations that will share this with others. We become who we surround ourselves with.

Let's take a moment today and consider who makes ups our inner circle. Think about the direction that they are going, and ask yourself if that's the direction you want to go in.