Iron Sharpens Iron: Proverbs 27
"Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17)
“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
You weren’t meant to walk this journey alone. Not your faith. Not your life. Not your struggles.
God calls us into community—not the superficial kind where everyone’s pretending to have it all together, but real community. The kind where people love you enough to tell you the truth. The kind where you strengthen each other.
And that sharpening? It’s not always comfortable.
The Difference Between Nice and Kind
“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” (Proverbs 27:6)
I once heard a pastor explain the difference between being nice and being kind, and this verse captures it perfectly.
Nice tells you what you want to hear. It’s the kisses of an enemy—smooth, flattering, empty. It keeps you comfortable. It keeps you stuck.
Kind tells you what you need to hear. It’s the wounds of a friend—honest, hard, life-giving. It might hurt in the moment, but it protects you. Refines you. Strengthens you.
Nice says: “You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Kind says: “I love you too much to let you keep hurting yourself.”
True friendship is about speaking truth in love.
*Note: Proverbs does tell us that death and life are in the power of the tongue, and that advises us to guard our mouth and tongue. So it is very important to pray and consider our words before approaching a friend we want to speak truth into, to ensure that we are approaching them with genuine love and kindness.
God Places People at the Right Time
I’ve been reflecting on my faith journey lately, and I’ve realized something powerful: God has uniquely placed people in my life at exactly the right time.
People who can sit across the table from me with genuine love and deep understanding—and challenge me. They don’t always give advice. Sometimes they just listen and pray. Sometimes they share a testimony that resonates so powerfully it shifts something inside me.
They don’t meet me with judgment. They meet me with love. And they shower me with convicting truth from God’s Word.
Sometimes God even places people in my life who mirror my own struggles and flaws. Watching them helps me see myself more clearly. It shows me the hurt I’ve caused from an outside perspective. And learning to love them challenges me to become a better person.
How wonderful it is that we have a God who meets us where we are and surrounds us with people who speak truth and life into us with genuine kindness and love.
Surround Yourself With Iron
I now aspire to surround myself with people who can sharpen me, just as I can sharpen them.
Not people who flatter me. Not people who let me stay comfortable. Because together, we grow in faith and strength. Together, we can achieve so much more than we could on our own.
Together, with God at the center, we can destroy the strongholds that plague us— loneliness, bitterness, doubt, addiction and all the things that try to isolate and defeat us.
But it requires humility. It requires being willing to be sharpened, even when it hurts.
Iron sharpens iron. But only if both people are willing to engage.
So find your people. The ones who will sharpen you. The ones who love you enough to call you to something higher.
And be that person for someone else.
Your Move
Ask Yourself: Do I have people in my life who sharpen me? Am I the kind of friend who speaks truth in love, or do I just tell people what they want to hear?
Reminder: Faithful are the wounds of a friend. Find a community where you can be honest and vulnerable. A community that encourages you to become who you were created to be.