“And we urge you…admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.”
1 Thess. 5:14-18 ESV
We sat in Panera Bread, sipping coffee and playing catch up. At the mention of a mutual acquaintance, I immediately expressed regrets that I frequently “bumped heads” with this individual, who is now with the Lord. This dear friend laughed and said, “You two were sandpaper for each other.”
“Sandpaper?
What do you mean?”
She said she coined the term for people God uses to smooth another Christian’s rough edges. I love the picture and idea behind it! As I thought about Sandpaper People, I added a few categories.
Woodchipper.
The Woodchipper has no desire to build, grow, or encourage others. Their priority goal is to elevate themselves, and they do that by shredding and tearing others down. The Woodchipper’s destructive intentions do not build up others or glorify God. When possible, avoid the Woodchipper.
At strategic times in our walk with God, He may place a Woodchipper directly in our path. In these difficult times, know there is purpose. God uses these times to grow us, draw us closer to Him, and, in the end, glorify His Name.
Hammer & Chisel.
The Holy Spirit often uses Hammer & Chisel people to attack the large and deep areas that require complete removal before the believer’s transformation into the image of Jesus can continue. The work may be extensive and painful, requiring a lengthy recovery period before healing is complete. These can be tough relationships, but we should thank God and recognize the radical Spirit-filled changes that can result.
Sandpaper People.
Sandpaper People move in and out of our lives regularly. Relationships with Sandpaper People may be brief or last for a lifetime. God uses these special people to smooth out the bumps in our character, fill in the gaps and holes, and then sand them smoother. These relationships may seem bumpy themselves at times, but they are to be greatly valued and treasured.
Polishing Cloth.
The last category is Polishing Cloth people. God sends these godly people into our lives to help brush away the dust we carry from our encounter with Sandpaper People. The Holy Spirit uses Polishing Cloths to refine, polish, and expose the shine, beauty, and glowing highlights that become more brilliant in us the closer we walk with our Lord. These beautiful people are our closest encouragers, ministry and prayer partners, and loving sisters (and brothers) in Christ through all seasons. They bless our lives and encourage us to bless and encourage others.
Who is God using in your life today? Who has He used in your past? Who might He use tomorrow?
When I think of the many people God has brought into and taken from my life over the years, I realize most all fall into one of these categories – most are believers, and some are not. Sometimes, the category labels change depending on the season of life, crisis, or challenge. I know now that I did not fully appreciate how God used and directed those people to impact my life. Hindsight brings such clarity.
As you consider the types of people God brings into your life, I pray that you will think about the specific people in your life today. Do not focus only on believers. God can and does use non-believers to move us forward in our spiritual journey.
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17 NIV
Pray that God will let you see all the people in your life as His instruments that will shape you into the image of His Son.
This prayer can change your life. It will change your relationships and how you view others – believers and unbelievers. When you realize that your life is not an accident, your relationships have purpose, and there is intention in every circumstance, it becomes easier to see God at work.
It also becomes easier to begin to see other people as God sees them. It allows you not only to tolerate but also accept, love, and embrace all types of people because “God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).”
Realize even “chance” encounters can be divine appointments that have everlasting implications. Whether your previous, current, or future life circumstances fit your definition of a perfect situation, you can know that God works in and for you in every aspect of your life.
Pray that God will show you that YOU are either a Woodchipper, Hammer & Chisel, Sandpaper, or Polishing Cloth to all those around you.
Praying this prayer can also change your life. When you understand that God is using (or wants to use) you to build the body of Christ and bring unbelievers into the fold, you will become more sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit, more attuned to the spiritual and physical needs of others, and more intentional in all of your interactions.
Admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all. See that no one repays anyone evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to everyone. Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:14-18 ESV
One final thought.
The interactions and relationships described above happen only when you are part of a community. You cannot live on a social island. Just as Eve was created for Adam in the Garden of Eden (God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone…” Genesis 2:18),God made you for community.
As a believer, first and foremost, you must be a part of a local church. That is where you find your people – your Polishing Cloths, Sandpaper People, Hammer & Chisel, and all the rest.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”
Hebrews 10:23-25 ESV
Within the Church (big “C”), there are numerous avenues for fellowship, service, and Christ-centered relationships. And, yes, you’ll find more of your people in those places.
As you are shaped, smoothed, and shined, you will find increasing opportunities to be used by God to build up other believers and bring lost ones to Christ.
Be open and receptive to the Spirit of God when He brings people into your life who challenge, test, and encourage you to grow and draw nearer to God.
And be especially sensitive to God’s Spirit and His leading when He brings people into your life who need you to be a Hammer & Chisel, Sandpaper, or Polishing Cloth.
…Equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-15 ESV