Sir Derrick and Pablo

By Emilie Hendryx

I’d like to introduce you to my car…Sir Derrick. This old guy had a great life with me. We went on adventures to distant lands….well, mostly in California, Oregon, and Washington, and he was my faithful travel buddy to college and beyond. He also played a two-part role in my story of blessing.

Picture this: A beautiful day in Southern California. There we were, driving down the familiar road to work, when suddenly Sir Derrick’s power went out (not sure of the technical term for this). Thankfully I was able to maneuver us to a parking lot only a few blocks from work where I placed a fateful call to AAA. When all was said and done, the bill for fixing Sir Derrick back up was over $500—quite an unexpected sum.

Let me pause here in the story to say that I’m a very independent person. Being an only child, I’ve grown up doing a lot of things on my own (I have wonderful parents and it’s not that they weren’t around; they just taught me how to be independent, which I see as a good thing). So, when I heard the total to fix the car, the first thing I thought was: “Ok, Emilie, you’ll have to pull money from your savings and possibly skimp a little (or a lot) for the next few months but you can do this!” (I’m very motivational towards myself obviously—ha!)

Fast forward to a week or so later when I found out that my good friend Jennifer had taken a collection up for me among our friends and youth group staff that completely covered the cost of fixing the car. I was shocked and felt so completely blessed and undeserving!

That in and of itself was an amazing story of God’s faithfulness to me. It was the perfect reminder to me that He is in control no matter what and, even when I couldn’t see how things would work out, He had a plan.

But Sir Derrick’s adventures don’t end there. You see, about a year later I was able to purchase a new car (his name is Pablo Ferdinand the Explorer – not to be confused with the SUV – in case you were wondering). I’d received some inheritance money after my Grandmother passed and knew it would be a good investment to have a newer car. I could have traded Sir Derrick in or tried to sell him around town, but at that time one of the guys working at the church I worked at was in desperate need of a car. I entrusted Sir Derrick to him for the sum of $1 and suddenly Sir Derrick was on his way to new and great adventures.

I don’t share this last story to elevate myself in any way, but I do tell it to share a point. One of my former pastors used to say that we are “blessed to be a blessing” and that’s the only way we can look at the blessings and good things in our lives! My friends blessed me when they enabled me to get my car fixed but it didn’t stop there. It was a circle of blessing that, in theory, can continue on indefinitely.

What have you been blessed with? How are you using those things to bless others? For some this is financial. For others this means time. Still, others will have skills they can bless with. Whatever it is, I challenge you (as I challenge myself) to think of what you have—the blessings as we’d call them—as a means to bless others. Step into the circle of blessing and ask God what he would have you do to bless those around you.

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Emilie is a freelance writer and photographer living in the heart of Washington, D.C. She’s a member of ACFW and writes romantic suspense while dreaming up YA Sci-Fi dystopian worlds on the side. She’s got a soft spot in her heart for animals and a love for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time you can find her designing fun bookish things, playing guitar, or reading a book all while drinking too much coffee.

Connect with her on her blog: www.eahendryx.blogspot.com or check out her bookish shop: http://www.society6.com/emiliehendryx