losing-best-friend-feature_1320W_JR-1

Good morning, men!

We have all heard Proverbs 27:17 at some point:

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

….but do we really buy into this? Do you have strong, close relationships with other faithful men who pour into you? Do you lean more towards the “lone wolf” philosophy and subconsciously maintain superficial relationships with the men around you in fear of them getting to know your true self?

If you want further proof of how poorly men handle this, just google “best friend” and see the ratio of pictures of two guys vs. two women. In my humble opinion, women are TYPICALLY much better at building true, deep, meaningful relationships. BUT the scripture tells us directly that we can SHARPEN each other if we choose to.

As I write this, I think back on all the years that I played sports and how many opportunities I had to build strong male relationships. Outside of just one guy, I was in my 30s before I realized I needed men in my life that I talked to regularly about more than ball and comedy.

Recently I changed jobs in sales. In my previous job I was out by myself 90% of the time. Over a five year period, I found myself professionally successful, but increasingly bitter, unfulfilled, and searching for more. When I came into my current job, another man from my church had recently been hired just ahead of me to work in commercial insurance as well….but with a different specialty.

These days, we ride together and talk about our families, aspirations, God, our past….you name it. Troy lifts me up and on some days, I can tell I do the same for him. I can’t tell you how much my perspective on my profession has changed just by choosing to push IN to a relationship that would sharpen me, as opposed to running AWAY from it and pursuing my solo agenda.

I pray that all of you have relationships that fulfill you in this way. I hope that this Message can serve that purpose in a small way.

Have a blessed day, men, and don’t shy away from the men in your life who sharpen you!

M.I.T.T. ~ Runyan