Have you ever tried cutting something with dull scissors? Or try cutting thick meat like steak with a butter knife? Despite all of the tugging or manipulation one may try, the wrong knife or scissors aren’t a bit of good. As a young girl, I would often spend the summers with my grandmother Rosie, who is a master cook. When her knives were dull, she would dig to find what looked to me like a giant needle. She would hold the handle of the “needle” and slide the knife up along the metal until she knew it was sharp enough. I couldn’t understand how it magically happened, but I saw the proof that it did what it was designed to do. There’s no other way for a knife’s sharpness to be restored other than using an old-school sharpener or a newer automatic on that also has metal parts. I believe it is important for us to find people who shape and sharpen us too. It is even written in the Bible as Proverbs 27:17 reads, As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. When children are in school, most parents try to promote their children to play with other kids they think are similar. The opposite too, some parents work to convince kids not to hang with a certain crowd if they feel they would be a detriment to their kid.

Truthfully, we have to be selective of the company we keep at every level we may be, in every environment we go to. This is why there are groups and communities created like Alcoholics Anonymous and Big Brothers Big Sisters. These specific groups were created because someone knew the value of being around people that would help make you better. Are you a part of a group or community that is helping you grow and evolve?