Are You Silly Putty?

By Dianne Neal Matthews
Guest Writer

CBN.com -- In 1943, rubber shortages during World War II led to the invention of Silly Putty, a classic American toy.

When the government searched for something plentiful to use in developing a synthetic rubber, researchers began working with silicone. An inventor at General Electric added a little boric acid to silicone oil, and a gooey, bouncy substance resulted.

It didn't work as a substitute for rubber, but after the war a manufacturer marketed it to the public as a toy called Silly Putty in March 1950.

Apollo 8 astronaunts used Silly Putty to stabilize their tools in the zero gravilty environment of space, storing it in sterling silver eggs.

The toy still sells well today, with manufacturer Binney & Smith producing twenty thousand eggs of Silly Putty a day. The substance can be stretched, shaped into any form, rolled into a ball and bounced, or pressed on pictures and newsprint to make impressions.

Romans 12:2 says,

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (NIV)

The apostle Paul warns believers against conforming to this world. The verse gives the idea of being pressed into a pattern or mold.

Our culture tries to shape us according to current ideas, attitudes, and lifestyles. Even though we have the Holy Spirit in us, we can end up looking and living like carbon copies of everyone around us.

God calls us to be nonconformists, but not just on the outside. By actively pursuing prayer, Bible study, service, and fellowship with other believers, we will be renewed on the inside.

Then we will be able to discern and obey God's will, and our life will be transformed day by day.

We can't afford to be passive. If we don't let God transform our thinking, then we'll be like putty in the world's hands -- and that's worse than silly.

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Dianne Neal Matthews’ publishing credits include magazine articles, newspaper features, stories in compilation books, and The One Year Women of the Bible (Tyndale House 2007). In October 2010, Baker Books will publish her new Devotion, Drawing Closer to God: 365 Daily Meditations on Questions from Scripture. For more information, please visit www.DianneNealMatthews.com.