Rejoice Always!

Mondays with Jesus 2017: Devotions to Begin Each Week of the Year

“Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

As a teen, I wasn’t the best at being thankful. In fact, I was far from it. My parents both worked hard to give us everything we needed. My father built tires at the Goodyear plant; my mother sewed infant clothes at the Health-Tex plant. I didn’t know any of my friends’ parents who, in my opinion, worked harder than mine. But in spite of my parents sacrificing to attempt to give us everything we needed/wanted, I wasn’t as appreciative as I should have been. I would eye my friends’ new clothes, their jewelry, new cars with a green eye. Even things as trivial as the newest makeups caused a bitter vein of jealousy to find its way to my heart.

When I turned sixteen, I honestly didn’t expect to receive a car. And my parents weren’t able to buy one; however, they had Daddy’s 1973 Buick Century repainted and fixed up so that I, like the majority of the other kids in my grade, would have a vehicle to drive to school. Now, don’t get me wrong; I was thrilled to have a car to drive. BUT—I was still envious of the new Camaro that a friend drove each morning and parked in her spot, right next to mine. Ditto for the Corvette and Firebird a few parking spaces down.

But then, one of the football players stopped me and asked if he and some of the other teammates could take a look under the hood (to be honest, I didn’t even know how to open the hood then, but they helped). They marveled at how well the engine had been maintained and cleaned. And they all but drooled over the 350 engine, with several asking if they could drive it sometime.

Suddenly, I had the “cool” car. And my appreciation for my parents’ gift went through the roof. This was no longer my Daddy’s old work car; it was my treasure! I made sure to keep it clean, was happy to open the hood to the people that asked (and many did) and was absolutely joyful that I had such an amazing ride.

Thinking about me back then, and the way I felt when I saw my car through another’s eyes, I wonder if, when people see Christians, they see us as something that isn’t desirable, something old and not as shiny as the world, with its appealing sin. In fact, the only way they may have to see the beauty of the gift is if they see it through my eyes, the way I finally saw the splendor of my car through the football team’s eyes. Perhaps, if I really want to bring others to Christ, I need to make sure that they see enough appealing about the way I’m living my life…that they want to look inside and see more. I hope, when they do, that they are as excited as those guys were when they found that 350 under the hood.

This Week: If you ‘wake up on the wrong side of the bed,’ remember that someone may be watching you today and seeing what Christ looks like through you. Even though you may be going through a rough spot right now, think of five things to be thankful for. Recall those blessings throughout the day so that others will want to know more about what you have inside, the way those guys wanted to know what was hiding inside of my ‘old’ Buick!

Renee Andrews