By: Melissa Hernandez
Sabbath afternoons are some of my favorite hours of the week, especially when they involve a hike. During the first weekend of the semester, that’s how a few friends and I spent our Sabbath afternoon. As expected, the path contained lots of obstacles, so we were careful. After a while, we started to talk about the morning’s sermon and sang songs together. But as time went on, our attention drifted and we became more absent-minded.
Eventually, we grew bored and decided to explore another path. We paid more attention to what was on the ground ahead, looking for things that could trip us. What we didn’t notice, until one of my friends pointed it out, was a large spider hanging over us. We pushed forward, but more spiders guarded the way. On our way back, we noticed all of the spiders we had walked under. And for the first time, we looked out for each other, pointing out where the next spider was so we wouldn’t stumble into its web.
This experience reminded me of Proverbs 27:17 NLT, “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.” On that hike, my friends would look out for me when I couldn’t see a spider ahead. In the same way, God blesses us with friends to keep us accountable as we navigate life. Friends help us be more honest, spot those sins and stay on the right path. Good friends are willing to direct us toward the truth, even when we don’t want to hear it. But just as iron needs friction to be sharpened, so do we. This sharpening is an act of love and is sometimes uncomfortable, but we should do it in love, just as others speak the truth in love.
Sometimes, we are so focused on the small things and faults of others that we overlook the sins we commit. Just as my friends and I were so focused on the trail under our feet, we can become consumed with pointing out others’ faults. We notice the “obstacles on the ground” but fail to see all the “spiders above” in our own lives. In Romans 2:1 NKJV, Paul says, “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
The key is where we choose to fix our eyes. Just as we were able to spot the spiders around us the moment we looked up, Jesus helps us spot our sins the moment we look up and focus on Him. Psalm 123:1 NKJV says, “Unto You I lift my eyes, O You who dwell in the heavens.” Once we look up to Him, we begin to see our sins clearly. And we are then able to walk with Him to confront those sins, with the friends He has blessed us with on the way to encourage, correct and sharpen us.
