Why Don’t You Rust?

Acts 7:49-50
“Heaven [is] my throne, and earth [is] my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what [is] the place of my rest? Hath not my hand made all these things?”

Did you ever wonder why you don’t rust? Before you laugh, remember – iron is not only a major part of your blood, it is used to attract the oxygen that is carried by your blood to the rest of your body. And you know what happens when oxygen meets the iron in your car or a tool that is left outside overnight – rust! So, why don’t we rust?

Part of the reason is that the molecular structure of hemoglobin is very cleverly designed so that the iron in your hemoglobin attracts oxygen and holds it but, at the same time, is prevented from rusting. There are many designs that hemoglobin could have – but the actual structure prevents rust from forming. But 200 billion of your red blood cells die every day. The iron in those cells is no longer prevented by the hemoglobin from forming rust. So your body collects iron from these cells and stores it in tiny protective containers made up of the protein ferritin, where it is prevented from combining with oxygen and turning into rust.

Actually, these rust proofing systems in the body can go wrong because of a rare genetic defect called bronze anemia. People suffering from this defect actually do develop rust like deposits in their bodies, and sometimes the rust actually discolors their skin.

The careful planning and intricately related systems that make life possible speak loudly of a Creator. No wonder discoveries in the biological sciences have caused some scientists to defect from evolution and see creation as the better explanation.

Prayer:
Dear Lord, everything You have made is excellent beyond compare and made with great understanding. I ask that You would help me to have wisdom from You for my life. Amen.

Notes:
“Why don’t we rust?” Science Digest, May 1984, p. 88. Photo: “Heart of Steel (Hemoglobin)” statue. A few months earlier, the metal was shiny silver in color. Courtesy of the sculptor/photographer Julian Voss-Andreae. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

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