The potential of rubble
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 5:52AM | 6 Comments 
There was a great story on NPR yesterday. A new navy ship was christened that was constructed from 7.5 tons of steel that used to be part of the World Trade Center.
The boat can hold up to 800 Marines and will take them wherever Marines need to go. I wonder what it was like in that factory when the twisted steel came in. I wonder what the ship builders thought as they crafted and heated and bended the old material into a brand new something.
In one sense we could call this recycling - taking something that was meant for the garbage and modifying it to be used anew. But I think there's a more profound lesson.
Often times, when disappointment strikes and our hopes are dashed, we long for a clean slate. Our heart gets broken and we decide to move to a new city. We don't get the job and we question our passions and talents. The diagnosis is confirmed and we decide to live an entirely new life.
But there are never brand new starts in life. It's too complicated. Resumes, friendships, and ideas never really disappear. The effect of yesterday leaves too deep a mark on our souls to be forgotten.
When we look at today's rubble and decide to wade through the tattered hopes and dreams before us, we might find something buried deep in the wreckage. Then, by getting to work, we can build a beautiful vessel that takes us towards tomorrow.
This is more than wishful thinking - this is wishful working. Pie-in-the-sky attitudes and admonitions to look on the bright side never get us anywhere. Instead, sitting in the ruins of life with someone and helping them see the potential in their brokenness allows us to help craft a better tomorrow together. Of course, it's messy. But omelets aren't made until eggs are broken, and the sun won't rise tomorrow until we sit through tonight's darkness.
We're lucky if we have someone to help us sift and then build something valuable. The world needs more shipbuilders.
Photo by Atli Harðarson
Reader Comments (6)
Sam,
I really appreciate your words in this post. From being on both sides of the scenarios of life you've mentioned, I have found your thoughts to be right on target. We definitely need more shipbuilders.
Thanks for the comment, Tim (and for sharing it with your Facebook network). Since you're someone who has a heart for the church, I'd love to see how the church could be a shipyard - a place of salvage - for people in this situation...a place where they can build again and reclaim what they may have thought lost.
Sam,
Love your post! God is the ultimate shipbuilder, and he can mold rubble into the most amazing new life. I've often thought that sometimes those who lose the most, and then build back up, have the most to be thankful for. Because they know how dark and deep the bottom really is.
Sam - thanks for this. It really hit the nail on what I have been experiencing the last 7 months or so. Met with Nancy today and am so looking forward to having you guys possible be one of our shipbuilders. Thanks.
What a great message Sam. I think there's so many people that consistently RUN from city to city, job to job, etc. Everyone is always searching for something when most often it could probably be found within themselves. I think sorting out the rubble within is great start to building our own ships.
I feel like this goes back to the ever popular idea: Is change merely for the sake of change ever a good idea?
I personally adhere to the theory that there is probably much more to be learned from our past than discarded and started over again. If we take no time to look through the rubble and find the salvageable then nothing good can ever come from our experiences. I don't want to advocate for living in the past, but I DO think that too often we are so desperate to move on to the next thing that we miss the important lessons.
I fee like those that are the most "successful" are the ones who learn, tweak, adjust, forge on and continue to improve.