“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Proverbs 27:17
Why Samaritan’s Purse?
I have found myself on the receiving end of this question many times over the past few months. Regardless of the role of the one from whom the inquiry came, my answer remained the same; “I am excited for the community.”
Throughout my faith journey thus far, a community within the body of Christ has seemed to come and go in waves, according to the will of God.
Just months after giving my life to Christ in 2013, I ventured out of my small hometown to begin my freshman year of college, leaving behind the only Christian community that I knew. Throughout the next four years, I ventured in my faith, with what felt like such little progress. I simply didn’t know how to be a Christian, though looking back now, I can see a heart that was longing to grow; a heart longing to taste and see.
After college, I began a new chapter of life in North Carolina, and holding me to my promise of pursuing Him when “life became less busy”, God completely captured my heart. Not only did that season hold my first taste of true surrender to the Lord, but God surrounded me with an incredible community. He surrounded me with friends who were just ahead on the path of navigating their lives in Christ. He surrounded me with people who encouraged me, challenged me, and spurred me on in this grand journey towards Christ. He surrounded me with individuals who saw more in me than I could have ever seen in myself.
Moving into the following three years, and up until this point, I have been on the move with great frequency. Sure, I have made some friends here and a few friends there. I have gotten the opportunity to serve in Sunday school, join in on a Bible study or two, and even attend an adults weekend retreat through my home church. But I have been void of the opportunity to truly soak within one community.
When my most recent travel assignment came to a close, I strongly felt that God was leading me to a new chapter; a chapter that would give me the opportunity to be surrounded by Brothers and Sisters in Christ, though I wasn’t quite sure what that would involve.
In my first week on this disaster response, here in Mississippi, I was asked, “What is one thing that you expected to look a certain way, and were disappointed to find it otherwise?”
I thought for a moment, and then said, “nothing.” I’m sure it wasn’t quite the thrilling answer that this man was seeking, but I hadn’t really come into this experience with any grand expectations. I simply desired to be surrounded by like-minded people; a people motivated not by money or materials, but by the love of the Lord.
I continued on to explain that the presence of this thing, this unity that I was seeking, was far greater than I could’ve ever hoped for or expected. Within the first day, rather the first minutes of my exposure to the other members on this team, I knew that God had surely surrounded me with bold, beautiful, and brilliant Brothers and Sisters in Christ.
My original eagerness for this community stemmed out of a desire to glorify God in unity with His children. I was so excited to provide medical care to these patients with coworkers who would at the same time be focused on our greater purpose. As I said, I was hopeful to be surrounded by others who were motivated by the love of God, rather than the things of this world. I desired the opportunity to pursue the Lord from a place of togetherness.
To simply say that my desire to serve in unity was met would be an understatement. However, I had been so focused on this one benefit of community, that I had hardly considered the many other blessings of being surrounded by the body of Christ; one of which, brings me back to our scripture.
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
We, as believers, are to sharpen each other. We are to make each other more effective in the work that we have been called to do and ultimately in the glorification of the Lord our God. All of the members of this team have been absolutely amazing, many of whom have directly impacted my walk by the sharing of their stories, their evident hearts for the Lord, or simply in their ways of being.
But in looking back on my path, and all of the details, I see that the Lord has continuously placed the perfect people on my path for great purpose, and this experience has been no different. On the day that we opened the doors to our field hospital, I was assigned to be in ward with two other coworkers, Jody and John, both of which have been walking with the Lord for many years and have been obedient to His call with much of their lives. Within minutes of sharing pieces and parts of our stories, I was sure that God had his hand in the ward assignments that we had received that morning.
Over the past few weeks, I have gotten to directly observe Jody and John at work for the Lord. I have gotten to be a witness of their character that has been shaped by the Lord. I have gotten to hear of the hills and valleys as they have adventured with the Lord. I have gotten to appreciate what it looks like to truly follow in obedience to the Lord. I have grown all the more excited to continue on in my pursuit of the Lord; to continue on in my spiritual maturity. And it is through my observation of Jody and John, that I feel as though I have began to grasp the concept of iron sharpening iron.
Though all of the things listed above have added up to be very encouraging, they have in the same time challenged me day after day.
I cannot even begin to tell you how many times I have been on the other side of the curtain to a patients room and have heard Jody in prayer. God’s word tells us to be “constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12) and to “pray without ceasing”, but how often do we actually coat all things in prayer? How often do we tell God everything? How often is our first thought to pray? After the very first code situation that I had ever been involved in when I first became a nurse, I remember thinking, “I wish I would have thought to pray during the code, rather than after.” Jody has undoubtedly encouraged me in and shown me what it looks like to pray without ceasing. I have been witness to her prayer in the midst of chaos as well as in the calm of the day. I have watched her pray with her gentle hand on the shoulder of her patient and I have listened to the peace of her voice as she shared in prayer with family over the phone. I have been uplifted through her rejoicing prayers on our good days and comforted by her prayer in our hard days. It is greatly because I have been a direct witness of this incredible woman of God, that I was able to think to pray in the midst of the chaos this week.
“Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Romans 12:12
Among many things, I am encouraged by and challenged in the intentionality and perseverance of John. There has not been a single time that I have been in his presence, in which he has let the opportunity to encourage or inquire pass him by. Whether it is a quick heart check, a short story from his experience, or the seeking of your testimony, he truly lavishes every moment with great intentionality. Perhaps even more astounding, just a few days ago, our team was able to join in on the celebration of John’s 75th birthday. The seventy-five part is not nearly as incredible as the way that this man tirelessly works day after day. We work long days, warm days, and many days, yet I have never seen him at rest when there is a task to be done, regardless of who has been assigned to its completion. He values and supports this body of Christ as a team in a way that I have never quite seen before and it is done joyfully day after day.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9
Iron sharpens iron. These two wise believers, these two people that God has orchestrated into my life, have certainly influenced me in ways much greater than I can describe. Simply in being a witness to their lives, their humility, their love, their joy, their peace, and their desire to follow Christ with every detail of their day, I have been sharpened. I have been made more effective for the kingdom of Christ and my hope is to have done a fraction of the same for those in observance of my walk with the Lord.
Community is a beautiful thing, a wonderful thing, and a fruitful thing. Observe your fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Learn from one another. Strive to look like Christ, that others may see you and do likewise.
