The Fear of Rust

It is that time of year when pulled hamstrings, torn ACLs and chronic injuries are causing some great athletes to retire. You may be one of them. Of course it is not just physical injuries that can shorten a career. The challenges when change comes upon us are our choices. We suddenly have choices concerning our time, our talents and treasures. What that means is that we have some decisions to make concerning how and what we are going to do now?

Now these should not be a quick decision. That is because we need discernment to understand ourselves and our circumstances. Discernment comes after thoughtfully contemplating life's events.  There are a number of places in the Bible where we are told to contemplate life’s events. In James 1:22-25 we are told to not forget who that person is who stares back at us in the mirror every morning. I believe that as we reflect on our lives we will find that there are three choices concerning our future. We can choose to rust, recover or reach.

The scariest of these is rust. Rust comes when a person allows circumstances to corrode their lives and it leaves them no longer useful. We have all seen this happen when someone does not respond well to failure, defeat, injury or injustice. They give up, stop trying or they simply live in regret and anger. Waiting for the time when desire is gone and there is no hope of recovery. God has not called us to shrink back and rust but to move forward for His glory. Now rust and corrosion can be overcome by a good cleaning. This is more than repentance. It is embracing the truth that God is using every event, the good, bad and ugly, to conform us into the image of Jesus and acting on that truth. Romans 8:28-29a states, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son.” God wants you to be like Christ; He still has a purpose for your life so clean up the rust and move forward.

Decades of military training caused a lot of injuries for me. When my left shoulder went bad I realized that I had to modify my training regimen. Now, it is not just the shoulder and when the doctor asks about surgeries I have a long list. Perhaps you can relate. Recovery from takes a long time and it can be frustrating because our bodies must be forced to cooperate. This is also true when we are recovering or mending from a change of circumstances. When we are in physical or spiritual recovery keeping a right perspective is critical. Colossians 3:1-2 tells us that since we been resurrected with Jesus that our attitudes should display a sense of hope and trust. We do not need to despair when we are recovering, but rather we should look to God and seek to see where He is sending us as we heal.

Reaching for new opportunities is as daunting and it is exciting. A friend of mine once asked, "Why do you think that God gave us two eyes in the front of our head instead of in the back your head?" The answer is that God wants is to look at what is in front of us. The process of seeing new opportunities is the process of looking forward through the eyes of faith. It is easy to by cynical and to lack vision. But God has not put us in a position to mutter and fuss. He has put us in a position to reach our potential by opening new doors and experiencing new opportunities.   

Now, how do we reach the opportunities that God is giving you. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 3:5-7 that the key is to, "Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make you paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes, fear the Lord, and turn away from evil." This text tells us that we need to reach forward with the eyes of faith trusting that the Lord will lead us as we submit to His will. It is in this way that we will experience new heights of true success, keep perspective when recovering and can keep corrosion away.


This type of true success can only happen when Jesus Christ is the Lord of your life. He came to earth to died on a cross for your sin and rebellion and to rise from the dead three days later to deliver you from the kingdom of darkness and deliver you into the His Kingdom, where your perfect Heavenly Father waits to welcome you. 

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