The Invincible Iron Man.....of faith? Part 7 - "Tough changes"
*disclaimer: While I highly suggest you see Iron Man before reading, (since there will be spoilers.) I would also like to say that it is not totally necessary, and that you shouldn't let not seeing it hold you back from reading.*
-Tough changes-
"I had my eyes opened. I came to realize that I had more to offer this world than just making things that blow up. And that is why, effective immediately, I am shutting down the weapons manufacturing division of Stark Industries."
Tony Stark
Psalm 59:10
Hello there, welcome back to my series, which some of you may have noticed has a new title. A friend of mine who knows a lot more about Marvel comics then I do pointed out that its actually the Invincible Iron Man, not the incredible. What can I say, my bad, lol. But I'm glad you've taken some time to stop by and read, and I apologize for taking so long in updating, I've actually been doing a lot of writing recently, just not on here, lol. Today's topic is about making some changes, a subject I'm excited to finally write about, and one I meant to cover in my writings last time, but the first half of it kinda split off and grew into it's own full blown entry, lol. I don't think I really have to tell any of you that change can be a difficult thing sometimes. I'm personally not a fan of it, but some of the many cool things about God is that He not only shows you what changes you should make in your life, but He is there to help you make them as well. Lets see how Tony Stark handled making some pretty big changes himself.
When we last left Tony, he was right in the middle of a very important press conference. He had all eyes on him, there was silence as those gathered hung on his every word, because the man who stood before them did not appear to be the same Tony Stark who traveled to the middle east three months ago. And he wasn't. Tony was now a changed man because of what happened to him over there, so much so that it was making people take notice. After seeing first hand what his own weapons were doing in the hands of the enemy, and how he had been allowing it to happen through his own greed and ignorance, Tony made a very bold move. Right there, in front of everyone, he announced that he was immediately shutting down all weapons manufacturing at Stark Industries.
Talk about a jaw dropping announcement. This was no small decision, jobs, money, reputation, stock values, all kinds of things were affected by this move. I mean, the biggest arms manufacturer on the scene suddenly shutting down weapons production? No way that wasn't going to make some major waves with, and for, a lot of people. But even in the face of how tough of a choice it was to make, and all of the repercussions to follow, Tony was determined to see it through because he felt it was the right move. With his eyes finally opened to the world outside of his own selfish views and desires, Tony saw that he had become part of a system that was comfortable with zero-accountability for it's actions, and because of that, innocent people were being hurt. It was something he saw first hand, and would now no longer stand for.
Now we may not be faced with the same kind of situations and choices that Tony Stark had to deal with, but what about the ones in your own life? With your own eyes now opened by Christ's love and sacrifice for you, what kind of things can you now see going on in your life that could stand a change or two? Sometimes we don't really have to look too hard because they can be quite obvious, like it was in my case. Upon coming back to God from going my own way for so long, I saw there were a lot of things I needed to cut out and start working on. Were they easy things to change, or in some cases outright remove? Heck no!
But God doesn't just leave you with a laundry list of things that have to be done now and expects you to have them all finished by monday. Infact, though it might be hard at first, as you keep going you may find that you are the one who actually wants to make these changes yourself. When it came time for me to give up my porn addiction, well, that was a tough one. After four years of letting it grow and work its way so deep into my life, I thought it was something I would never be able to get rid of. The honest truth was, I liked it. I mean it felt good, I had gotten so used to the chemical high of it all that I didn't want to let go at first. But after coming back to God, I realized I couldn't serve both Him and my habit, and it had to go.
The first few weeks were very hard as I attempted to dig that deeply entrenched sin out of my life. I failed quite a few times, I sometimes thought it was an impossible task, but thankfully God was right there along with me. He picked me up when I stumbled, and gave me the strength to soldier on, but not only that, He even filled the emptiness that porn left when I began removing it. Looking back, I can't imagine how I ever thought living life like that was the better way to go. The changes I've made in my life so far have been across the spectrum of difficulty, some easy, some hard, but with every challenge God has called me to, He as been there beside me to help me make it.
Even though God is always there, and ready to do everything but make the change for you Himself, it can still be scary to start. I think of all the changes I've made already, and the ones I still have yet to make, and it can be hard to take that first step into the unknown, whatever it may be. But we all have to remember that God isn't going to leave you high and dry with this stuff, He wants the best for you, even if it is difficult to do at times. Its ok to be afraid, but you can't let it stop you, which is something I still struggle with now, even after all the things He has already gotten me through. Just be open to where He wants to lead you, and keep in mind that He knows a lot more then we ever will.
Though things were getting rough for Tony Stark and his company in some ways thanks to some of the big changes he made, we'll see in my next entry how things were also on their way to getting a whole lot better in other ones...