Sharpening

"Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Wounds from a friend can be trusted, but an enemy multiplies kisses." -Proverbs 27:5-6

As much as I hate it, having a good pair of eyes to coach you is something that I have found to be invaluable as an athlete. Most times, I tend to train alone, but I have been blessed enough in my time as a weightlifter to have several other guys to sharpen me in my attempts to lift more weights. Guys like Steve, Kyle, Matt, Jordan, and Josh have all made me a better lifter in several ways. When I watch them, it inspires and pushes me to be better, but they also are able to watch me and tell me what I am doing wrong. I often feel as if I am doing everything right, but as you can see from the video above, that simply isn't true. What I have found is that when these brothers tell me to change something, like to keep my weight back or to not smack the bar horizontally, there is initially some defensiveness that arises in my heart. This is due to my pride, the feeling that I am right and they are wrong. The fact of the matter is, though, that if the bar doesn't end up overhead, then I have done something wrong and need to humble myself enough to let others help. It would be easy to surround myself with people who do nothing but pat me on the back and tell me how awesome I am, but much harder to surround myself with critical thinkers who will challenge me and not let me get away with things I should not be doing. As with most things, the easy route is not the most rewarding route.

Weightlifting and my spiritual life continue to run parallel, and this concept holds true for the topic at hand as well. As humans, we tend to think the best of ourselves at all times, often to our own demise. I may give myself the benefit of the doubt, but others tend to see us for who we really are, and praise God when a brother or sister is bold enough to confront you about it. I had a conversation this week with my brother Chase that got me thinking about this. Chase and I lived together through college, and shared a room for two of those years. He may know me better than just about anyone in the world, and as much as I hate to admit it he sometimes even knows me and the motivations of my heart better than I do. As we were talking on the phone, he brought up some things in my life for me to question, and I immediately felt attacked and defensive. He sensed this, and apologized, but when the dust settled and I objectively thought about it, I realized that he was right about a few things. Due to my pride, I felt that I was right and he was wrong. We need others to sharpen us, to reveal to us where we have gone astray, and to point us back to Christ. The bible speaks of the blessings of friendship on multiple occasions:

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!" -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Surround yourself with those who will push you to be better at your craft, and will challenge you to grow deeper in your affections for the King. It's hard, and sharpening hurts, but its worth it- there is beauty in pain. Blessings.