Iron Sharpens Iron, But Someone Has to Go First

“Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another” (Proverbs 27:17, ESV) is quoted often and understood rarely. Sharpening requires friction, and friction requires proximity. Two pieces of iron lying in separate drawers sharpen nothing. The verse assumes contact, not perfection, between the men involved.

Every man can likely name a moment when an older man’s presence, not his expertise, changed something in him. Maybe it was a coach who stayed late without being asked. Maybe it was an uncle who let a nephew hold the wrench even when it would’ve been faster to do it himself. Or maybe the story runs the other way: a man can just as easily remember the absence, the mentor who never showed up, the skill nobody passed down, the question nobody stayed around long enough to answer.

That absence is not something the next generation has to keep inheriting. Iron sharpens iron only when someone goes first.

If you haven’t yet, take a few minutes for the questionnaire: Mentorship & Skill Inventory