Rusted and Weathered

I was in the local Wal-Mart a few days ago, just to get some razors and soap. It’s important to stay clean, Right? Anyway, I noticed an amazing array of products in what I call the forever young dept. The isles were filled with face soaps, lotions, washes, creams, gels, pastes and what looked like body putty filler. Huh! All guaranteed to do what no one can do. Keep you forever young! All it cost was a few dollars. Of course you will need daily, weekly or monthly applications so there is an ongoing cost. I’m not opposed to this stuff. I just find it humorous that everyone dies eventually and you can’t help but age. Yet every shelf seems to have the secret ingredient. I mean, did we really want to stay in the diaper stage or did we want to grow out of it? Did we really want to stay in high school or… okay I get it. We just want to look like we're still in high school.

Reading the bible I find nothing that speaks to the retention of youthful skin qualities. In fact, I find a lot that suggests we all must become rusted and weathered to become what we were intended to be.
1 Sam 16:7 says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

We as humans put a lot of time, energy, creams and lotions into trying to preserve what won’t last because we prefer a less weathered exterior, but God prefers a weathering that produces a heart turned towards him.

Proverbs 31:3 says, “Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.”
1 Timothy 4:8 says, “Physical exercise has some value, but spiritual exercise is much more important, for it promises a reward in both this life and the next.”

It’s not that any of these things are bad; in fact let me say “I am for them!” Dab, splash, brush or trowel it on. Do what ever it takes. Anything that keeps me from looking like a bicycle that has survived being handed down in a family of ten is an okay thing. It’s just that we miss something important when all we see is the way we were in our youth instead of focusing on what we are becoming.

In the last several years, in order to find time to clear my head from the daily events of life, I have taken interest in little trees, bonsai. What I find so interesting in them is that as an artist creates, trains and grows them into a visually stunning piece of art. It is all done with the inspiration of trees that have survived harsh elements and severe weathering. No one wants a bonsai that resembles a well groomed tree on a golf course. Everyone works to create trees that have stood the test of time. Trees that have weathered the storms have gained a unique beauty available to only the most persevering trees. God says the same thing about us!
First, in Psalms 139:14, he says we are “Fearfully and wonderfully made.”

He says it’s a process: 2 Cor. 3:18, “And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord.”
He says its tough, but it has its rewards: Romans 5: 3-4 ,“Consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything”

Revelation 2:10 says, “But if you remain faithful even when facing death, I will give you the crown of life.”
As we become transformed by God, we see the beauty in being rusted and weathered. We no longer fear what we can’t control. Instead, we find our true selves after the trials we endure and we find peace in our place in this world. One of my favorite verses says ,“We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them,” Romans 8:28.

Rusted and weathered is part of the journey. It has a beauty that cannot be copied, purchased or added by anything man can buy. It comes through time, struggle and a harsh environment. It’s only available to those who persevere. We are fearfully and wonderfully made!