Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron as one man sharpens another.”
In the nineteenth century, with the dawn of worldwide travel, rich Californians spent more and more time in Europe. There they developed an insatiable appetite for Atlantic salmon. However, this caused a real problem for them. The Panama Canal hadn’t been built yet – it was only finished in 1914 – so in order to get to California from the Atlantic Ocean, ships would have to sail right around the Cape Horn of South America. Many salmon died en route and the ones that made it lost muscle tone and didn’t taste as good as they did back in Europe. Eventually, an ingenious solution was found. The sailors were instructed to throw a few Northern Pikes into the tank of young salmon. This changed everything. Whilst a few salmon got eaten on the way, the rest arrived toned and healthy as they outswam their natural predator.
This is a true story with a simple moral – conflict can be good for us. It can keep us toned and sharp. As we flex and manoeuvre through the difficulties of life, we become strong and fit for purpose. Hopefully you can look back and think of times when trials came your way, you dealt with them appropriately, and grew through the process. Having a Northern Pike on your tail sometimes is a good thing!
That incredibly irritating colleague or family member could just be God’s instrument to help you work on your impatience. That insurmountable obstacle could be God’s offer of partnership in the process of overcoming. That apparent humiliation could be God’s invitation to the school of character formation. You might struggle to do this, but how about trying to praise God for the people who get up your nose, or the situation that requires increasing self-control? Choose to redeem their negative influence on your life by seeing them as dumbbells to your character – then pick them up and get pumping!
Lord, I choose to take each experience today and use it to sharpen me rather than make me blunt and ineffective. Amen!
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