Sunday Devotion: Spit Shined

Cindy Sproles

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2-4

As a child, I had a friend whose dad was a retired military man. If the truth be known, he was probably a little OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) as well, but either way it was such fun to go to their house. He’d join us outside as we played in the field and oversee our games. He made sure everyone played fairly and if we happened to be short a person, he’d join the fun.

One day his daughter and I ran into the house to retrieve a baseball glove. “It’ll be in the back left-hand floor of the closet.” he shouted as we ran up the front stairs. Jill threw open the closet door and dove in head first to find the glove. To my surprise, hanging in a shoe rack on the closet door were these beautiful black leather shoes. I could see my reflection in the shine.

“Are these real?” I asked as she pulled the glove from the closet.
Jill laughed hysterically. “Weird, huh? Dad spit-shines ‘em. It’s something he learned in the service.” I had never seen a pair of shoes that held such beauty. It was a picture to behold and at every angle you looked, they glistened.

“Dad’s freaky about his closet. Look at his clothes.” Every shirt was aligned perfectly according to color and sleeve length and every pair of shoes sported that glossy look. “He likes everything in order and shined. He calls it spit-shined. We tease him all the time.”

When we craft our words on paper, we continually buff and polish them until they glisten. When we’re finished the pages hold a work of art – beautiful to read and see. God does the same for us. He is constantly rubbing us to bring out the shine. I suppose for a lack of better words – “ We’re spit-shined.” Daily, we run upon odds and ends that stress and frustrate us. If only life were only that simple our troubles would be over. Unfortunately, it isn’t and if it were, we’d never be brought to the shiny luster which lies beneath the surface. Our Father knows what we’re capable of – after all, He created us. He knows what it takes to make us shine. Sometimes it may be a simple bump in the road while other times, we need to experience some prodding before we figure out the ability lies within us. In order to achieve that perfect glow, we have to be polished; rubbed and rubbed until the shine appears.

Won’t you allow God to work on your luster and bring you to the point where you reflect Him beautifully? Spit-shined.