Watching Celebrity Family Feud with Steph Curry and his wife, Ayesha. The won the game and were in the bonus round. She went first and scored 194 of the 200 points needed. That left Steph with 6 points to score for family to win money for their charity. What was really good was that Steph gave some of the same answers his wife gave. He had to rethink quickly and give a second answer twice. This made me think of pairings and connections.
Proverbs 27:17 King James Version (KJV) "Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend."
Who am I connected to? Are they the iron that I need for this season of my life? Do they sharpen me? I had to really sit back and take a look at my inner circle and those in it. Here is what I found. My circle has deceased. There are some that have remained and others that have left. I love them all because they either deposited in me what they were supposed to and left or they still have to keep me sharp (God, bless them with this task :)). Either way, this season of my life has been a new journey of faith amiss trials that have pushed me to a new level in life.
What I so loved about the responses of this husband and wife were that they were on one accord. She gave almost all #1 answers. He came behind her and gave all the same responses except the one question where he gave the #1 answer. They were in sync one with another. They moved together fluidly. It was awesome to see his response to the fact that he only needed 6 points to win the money for his charity. She didn't boast but told him that he had it. Sync. She did her job - well - and then pushed him to complete the task when he admitted to feeling the pressure of only having to get 6 points. Most of us probably would have thought, I got this, but this intelligent man knew to not take it for granted. He took his time, cool as a cucumber, and let his answers flow.
This took teamwork. It took both parties to come in with a desire to give it their all. When I look at my circle now, I look for those willing to do their part and push me to do mine while allowing me to push them too. I look for those with an "we" not "me" desire to get to the finish line.
Who is in your circle? I am reminded as I type this of the disciples. While all walked with Him, not all were a part of His inner circle. There were but 3 - Peter, James, and John. I have been taught that nothing in the Gospel is just there. Could it be that by this illustration of an inner circle, God is showing us an example of how to live our lives? There were 12 but 3 were with Him at the raising of Jairus’ daughter from the dead (Mark 5:37-42; Luke 8:50-55); the Transfiguration of Christ on the Mount (Matthew 17:1-2); and Christ's travail in prayer at the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-39; Mark 14:32-36). Know this. You can have a small circle or a large circle of friends, but all of them cannot go with you as you transition from season to season. Does this mean they stop being your friends? Absolutely not. Some aren't ready and others can't handle the next level in your life. Others are simply on a different path than you are and their walk will take them in a different direction. Either way, be okay with the transformation of your circle. Be ready with the change of the dynamics of your life and more importantly, the transformation of your mind.
- - Be a Blessing and Not Just Blessed
Nakya