The blacksmith's apprentice. An old blacksmith once took on a young apprentice who was strong, quick, and proud. The young man liked to work alone. When the master offered to hold the other end of a long bar, he waved him off. When a blade came out of the fire with a flaw, he hid it rather than ask.
One winter morning the master handed him two knives and a whetstone. "Sharpen the first one alone," he said. The apprentice worked for an hour and got a fair edge. Then the master took the second knife and drew it, slow and steady, against a steel rod he held in his own hand. In a few strokes it was sharper than the first.
"The stone wears the blade down," the old man said. "The steel lines it up. You've been trying to get sharp by grinding yourself down alone. Let someone hold the steel."
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: if either of them falls down, one can help the other up. Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
"And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another."Hebrews 10:24–25
Notice the third strand. A pod is not just men holding onto each other. Christ is the strand that holds the cord together.
The PozzguyPozzguy Productions · a song for today
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Go further today
- Think of one man you've been meaning to call. Call him today.
- Where are you grinding yourself down alone instead of letting someone hold the steel?
- Pray for the men in your pod, or the men you hope will be.
