2024_12_06 Insight Post- Julie Christensen
This week’s reading- Acts 4:32-37, Acts 9:20-27, Acts 11:19-30, Acts 13, Acts 14, Acts 15:36-41, Galatians 2:11-13
Sunday evening, as I wrapped up Thanksgiving week and a few days off work, I was dreading the sound of the alarm clock Monday morning. Family and friends had all returned home, leftovers were in the fridge, and our kitchen was clean once again, so I sat down for a few quiet minutes and opened my Bible to chapter four of Acts. Beginning with verse 32, as I read about Barnabas, I was immediately struck with how dread-focused I was instead of grateful-focused. The unity and generosity of the believers put me right back into the Thanksgiving mindset. Why wasn’t I enjoying a recap of Thanksgiving? Why wasn’t I giving thanks to God for the food I had to share? Why wasn’t I being grateful for the dishwasher that was running successfully in my kitchen? Why wasn’t I reminiscing about the family and friends who recently filled our home with laughter? Why did I sit down with so much dread? Why do we focus on Thanksgiving so heavily only one day out of 365 instead of all year long?
With a different perspective, I started reading about Barnabas once again. This time, the question that immediately came to mind was, “What would my friends rename me?” “WHOA, what about God? What would He rename me?” Originally named Joseph, he gained his nickname Barnabas due to his gift of encouraging others. Would my friends rename me “Grumpy” or “Sunshine”? Would God rename me “Dreadful” or “Grateful”? Our name is the first gift we received from our parents. Let’s be more like Barnabas as we try to encourage others to use their God-given talents for His glory. Let’s try to be more grateful-focused and spread a bit more sunshine each day and not just annually on the fourth Thursday of November.
Julie Christensen
Senior Director of Silo Center