A Little Rust

Homemade ice cream after Church on Sunday night. That made a lot of people happy. I found the “maker” on the back porch still in its box from when we used it last. There was a good bit of rust on the metal bands of the wooden tub. Nothing to worry about, it’s the inside that counts. Found a little rust there too, but quickly removed it. The brew was ready and we poured it gladly into the canister.  The plastic top was a little out of form from years of too much heat, but with a little work it was soon covering the incredible Butterfinger ingredients.The electric motor begin to hum, but wasn’t turning. A quick nudge of the fan and it was off and running. Now for the ice, salt, and time. The ice from the fridge was too big and kept hindering the turning, so some block ice (prepared for such kinds of emergencies) and a heavy hammer would “git ‘er done.” The top of the canister kept coming up, and even though we tried to keep it on, it broke in a couple of places. The motor kept stopping, the whole thing was getting to be a disaster, and a great marriage was starting to suffer. Suffice it to say, “no ice cream from us. . . .”

It’s like a lot of people I know who have let a good bit of   “rust” build up on their faith and practice. Church gatherings have become something to miss often, Bible study is not a constant (to put it mildly),  prayer is limited to emergencies only, and the righteous life of Godliness has been replaced with a near abandonment to the “things” of this World. It’s just a mess, frankly.

Time for a new “ice cream maker.” It will be more expensive now, but I NEED  that ice cream, now that I have been reminded how good it was in the days of old. Maybe a lot of people NEED to be reminded about the spiritual “rust” that has damaged the best things in life, indeed, life itself. Check out 2 Corinthians 5:17. Remember to hinder, by faith and obedience,  the re-acquired  “old things,” and re-embrace the new.