Don't waste it...

You can learn spiritual lessons from the most unexpected places if you are open to receiving them.

Today mine came from the first Iron Man movie.

If you've seen the movie you will remember that Tony Stark has been injured and kidnapped by a terrorist group.  Another hostage named Yinsen saved his life by operating on him and keeping pieces of shrapnel from entering his heart.  He then proceeds to help Tony execute a plan to escape.  Together they build the first Iron Man suit.  In a very intense scene, Tony is suiting up and preparing to bust free, but the terrorists have caught on that something is up and are about to barge in and spoil their plans before they've even had a fighting chance.  Yinsen, with characteristic courage, grabs a gun and tells Tony that he will buy him some time.  He races out of the cave, shooting into the air and scaring them away.  He knows he is running to his certain death, but he is willing to sacrifice himself for Stark  Tony has time to power up and then fights his way out of the cave.

The moment that the lesson all came together for me was when Tony finds Yinsen and he is dying. In words that I find powerful and full of meaning, Yinsen tells him, "Don't waste it...  Don't waste your life."  He is pleading with Tony to not waste the sacrifice that he has just made.

Can you see it?

Yinsen is the Christ figure in this story, and Tony is all of us.  He saved Tony's life, inspired him to better, and then ultimately sacrificed himself so that Tony could be free.

Christ suffered in Gethsemane.  He hung on the cross.  He gave himself willingly... not for nothing, but for you and me!  He literally saved my life, both physically and spiritually.  And He has saved yours too.

Can't you hear Him whispering, pleading, "Please don't waste it... Don't waste this life I've given you."