Ever feel like you are going against the flow? Ever feel like every which way you turn, you bump up against something hard? For me, that's life in missions. But when I really think about it, that's the way my life has been from the beginning. And as I've gotten older, I realize that I'm kind of glad my life has been like this. I believe it has strengthened me as a person and as a Christ-follower. Perhaps it's 'iron sharpens iron' in the flesh. 

I recognize that many of us develop a bit of a 'sharp' edge to protect ourselves, an almost self-defense mechanism. Those sharp edges keep us from letting others get too close, and also keep us from getting cut ourselves. But I'm learning that as we allow ourselves to 'bump up against iron', those sharp edges I've developed over the years are slowly rounding themselves out. I find that the more I grow in Christ, the less I really care about the sharp edges - in fact, I'm learning that those very edges I grew as a protection often were used to cut someone else (and much of the time, it was unintentional). I still go against the flow, and still bump up and around the other things that come my way, but I find that I am navigating the flow much easier without so many sharp edges. Just a thought ...