Rusty

by Barbara Chadwick

Kenneth said, "Once upon a time this vehicle was new and shiny! Just think how proud they were of it. They brought it home and looked at it and polished it and showed it to their friends. They never thought that one day it would look like this."

It got me to thinking about rusty things:

• a closet door that squeaks (it could wake the dead!)
• an SOS pad used for three weeks
• a certain cookie pan if I put it in the dishwasher
• et cetera and ad infinitum

I'm sure you have your own list because we can't seem to get through life without some rust somewhere, especially here in Southeast Alaska!

There are things in my life that are rusty too. When someone asks me to play for a wedding, the first thought in my brain is, "I'm so rusty!" I have stressed daily practice with an emphasis on scales, chords and arpeggios for umpteen years of teaching piano. This kind of practice keeps your fingers nimble and responsive. When you neglect this practice your fingers act like they're rusty. You can play but the music isn't melodic and flowing. Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could just rub a little WD40 on my fingers and they would respond to my brain signals in an instant tickling the ivories as in years past?!

"If you don't use it you lose it." We often hear that phrase. It's true with a second language. After getting a diploma in Spanish at a Language School in San Antonio, Texas, Kenneth and I got to where we even dreamed in Spanish. We thought it was a milestone. We could converse fluently. But, we have not served in a Spanish church since 1982 and when we meet someone today who speaks only Spanish we can converse but our thoughts don't flow as they once did.

I'm trying to memorize one scripture verse each week. I think I'm doing well until I start to review from the beginning of the year. Then it feels like my brain is corroded. I stutter and hem and haw trying to get the right words in the correct order.

Wikipedea says that, "rust left alone will corrode, destroy, damage, degrade, disintegrate, cause collapse and breakdown."

In controlling rust every method mentioned has to do with taking some kind of action. You have to do something. In our spiritual lives we must guard against corrosion.

When you first see rust you have to scrub it away before it can do damage. Ann Graham Lotz says in I Saw The Lord, " Sin is deceptive and temptation always lurks at your doorstep. ... from time to time, I need a wake-up call to personal revival - a fresh experience and vision of Christ in order to open my eyes to His holiness and my helplessness and the eternal hope of the Cross. I need to come back to the Cross and get right with Him - not for forgiveness, since I am forgiven forever, but for sweet fellowship with Him and for power in His service. " (p.118)

We get lax and rusty in praising the God of all creation. It is easy to forget to thank Him for daily blessings. In Philippians chapter 4 Paul calls us to Rejoice. Then he reiterates, Rejoice!... in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.