Buddy-Buddy

“As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”
Proverbs 27:17

This proverb is a great ‘manly’ way of expressing how men can look out for one another. The outcome of each other’s help, according to this, is that we are made sharper. This is in stark contrast to the image we have become used to of the man who works alone and destroys all the bad-guys with a belt fed MG on his hip and explosions going off everywhere behind him. This image is very unhelpful to those in the warrior class, as without oppo’s and mentors you will find yourself really struggling.

Not only is learning from one-another vital for professional growth, but understanding when we need someone to bounce our thoughts off of when we are struggling mentally or emotionally is essential too. Sometimes a good natter is all that’s needed, other times things are more difficult and this is when you might seek out the Padre or someone for some deeper professional help. Nevertheless, a good friend is worth their weight in Gold.

As a Christian, I have the amazing privilege of having God Himself as a buddy – not to sound irreverent, but according to the Bible, He is closer than a brother. God has spoken His friendship to the world through His Son, Jesus and through His Word, the Bible. God is essentially ‘spirit’ (even though Jesus came in the flesh), and so is the best source of spiritual help. I love having my friends to bounce things off of, and they are a vital avenue of help to me, but my best source of help by far is my relationship with God, through Jesus and His Word.

“A man of too many friends comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”
Proverbs 18:24

We all recognise the importance of having one or two really close friends that we can trust with anything, even our very lives, but, we must not underestimate the power of also having the ultimate friend, who chose to become like us, understands our weaknesses and is closer than any earthly brother could ever be. Why not reach out to Him by praying or by perhaps grabbing a Bible to have a look at, or why not seek out the Padre or a Christian for help – Jesus really is the best friend you could ever have and what’s more He wants to be yours.