Teflon

“Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.” Philippians 3:1

Teflon is made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE). It was discovered in a laboratory accident in 1938 by DuPont Chemist Roy Plunkett as he was working on refrigerator chemicals.

Because of its carbon and fluorine atoms which have strong bonds to each other, Teflon has a very low coefficient of friction which makes everything slide instead of stick. (Fun fact – it is the only surface that a gecko can’t stick to!)

In the 1960s, TEFLON was used by NASA as a protective material used inside space suits.

More commonly, it was used on cooking pans. And if you have ever cooked and cleaned a pan you can appreciate the value of not having food burned and sticking to the pan while cooking!

It got me thinking about a TEFLON application for my heart, my emotions, and even my faith. As I continue to step forward into the years marked out for my life, I experience past hurts, disappointments, unresolved conflicts, mistakes, and fears that have stuck to my heart and mind. At times they seem to leave my life like a dirty pan.

You too? Well, wouldn’t it be good if we could have TEFLON for our hearts?
So hear this Good news from Philippians 3:1 “Whatever happens, my dear brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord. I never get tired of telling you these things, and I do it to safeguard your faith.”

TURNS OUT THAT EXPRESSIONS OF JOY ARE LIKE TEFLON FOR OUR FAITH! And it isn’t just any ordinary expressions of joy. Notice that these expressions of joy are the ones that are IN JESUS.

• It is a joy to know Jesus as Lord.
• It is a joy to follow and serve Him.
• It is a joy to be forgiven and free from guilt and shame.
• And that Joy in Jesus expressed is a safeguard to faith.

When joy in Jesus is expressed, it keeps fears and disappointments from sticking to our hearts and minds.

Those negative feelings and barbs of doubt that come from life will struggle to stick to you like a gecko trying to stick to TEFLON.

This is discipleship…following Jesus, being changed by Jesus, and being committed to the mission of Jesus.

Prayer
Dear Lord, we encounter all kinds of negativity and darkness, and horrible things in this world. And those things have such a negative impact upon our hearts and upon our minds. They can create doubts. They can create fear. And they can create missteps in our lives. But you have granted to us this great Teflon called joy. That joy is only found in Your son, Jesus. Because in Jesus, we have everything that we need, and we know the ending of all of this story. And so I pray that you would grant to me this day, this opportunity to have our hearts covered in joy and that those expressions would be like Teflon for any of the negativity that we might encounter. Thank you, Jesus, for your love for us. Amen.