A few months ago, my husband bought a blue, 2000 Chevy Silverado, coated in rust. So much rust that we’ve dubbed it “Rusty.” It’s a clunker in every sense of the word. Chris has wanted a truck for a long time, and when he found "Rusty", I took a quick glance at a picture, heard the price and excitement in his voice, and said, “If it runs well, go for it.”
When Rusty pulled into the driveway, leaking oil, I just laughed because I don’t think he’s really what we envisioned. After months, we finally took it to a mechanic for a tune-up this week. As the man gave it a once over, he said, “He’s got a lot of rust, but the frame is solid - rust-free. Looks good for a truck that age.”
Rusty on the outside, solid on the inside. Sounds a bit like me in the metaphorical sense I thought. See, if we’ve lived life, we have seen and participated in our fair share of sin. BUT “the rust” or sin we bare does not define us.
The people around us may know us as “the drama queen,” “the black sheep,” “hard to love,” “the liar,” “cheater,” “thief,” “flirt,” “drunk,” or ___________ (fill in the blank). However, when we know Jesus, and we confess our need for Him as our Lord and Savior, God doesn’t see the rust. When He looks at us, He sees our solid frame, Our Rock on which we stand, Jesus (1 John 1:9).
And Jesus… well He’s the best thing that could ever happen to us. He’s single handedly the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
He isn’t afraid of us with our earthly labels, big emotions, and sin. He calls us to Him. In fact, He wants us to bring it ALL to Him - fully authentic, raw, scared, proud, nervous, hurt, etc., and He wants us to lay it down - right there - at the foot of the cross.
I love what Jennifer Rothschild said, “The foot of the cross is even ground.” There is no first, second, or last. There’s no I lived a perfect life - here I am. Because Jesus said, “…My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness…” (2 Corinthians 12:9). He is made perfect in our weakness because He took what we deserve, and He finished it (John 19:30). He tore the veil that separated us from God (2 Corinthians 3:16). He covers all of our sin. It’s free. It’s abundant. And it’s perfectly clear that His grace and love cover it all.
As we end this week on a rainy note, let’s remind ourselves that we may be labeled by human tongues, but we are His. We may be tired and weary, but we are saved. We may feel like we aren’t good enough, but we’re forgiven. Because “It is finished” and there’s nothing we can do to change our true label: His.