Iron Man and Christianity

Last night I had the opportunity to go see Iron Man with my friend Laura. I personally really liked the movie. Anyway, there was one scene which particularly struck me.

There is a scene where Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is escaping from being held captive along with Yinsen (Shaun Toub). It comes down to necessity that Yinsen lay down his life so Tony might live. He does so and this is what takes place:

Tony Stark: We gotta go. Come on, move with me. We got a plan, and we're going to stick to it. 
Yinsen: This was always the plan, Stark. 
Tony Stark: Come on, you're going to go see your family again. 
Yinsen: My family's dead. I'm going to see them now, Stark. It's okay. I want this.

Yinsen: [to Stark] Don't waste your life.

(Quotes from www.imdb.com)

Tony becomes desperately upset in this scene. He does not want Yinsen, his one friend in this horrid place, to die. He wants to stick to "the plan." Yinsen realized that all along something like this was going to become necessary which is why he states, "This was always the plan, Stark."  In the end of this conversation, Yinsen says, "Don't waste your life."

I'm pretty sure I hear these words from Christ on a somewhat regular basis. When faced with tough decisions, or maybe ones I just don't want to make, "Don't waste your life." And wasting my life when He has laid down His for me would be a slap in His face. Just as Tony wasting life after Yinsen dies would have been a slap in Yinsen's face, so it would be with Christ and I.

I must not waste my life that I have been given by my Savior. I have an impact to make and not making it is wasting my opportunities. I need to seize each one of those opportunities and make the most of them. Each time I have a chance to impact someone for Christ, I need to do it. Each time I have a chance to share Christ's love, I need to do it. Each time I have the chance to live out Christ's calling to glorify Him, I need to do it. These opportunities aren't just in the "big" things of life. These are day-to-day things. When I work, am I glorifying Christ in how I treat people? When I interact with people am I sharing His love in my kindness and patience? Or do I allow myself to get frustrated and become a big brat?

Things to think over...

6 weeks!!! :) Then on to SE Asia.