When the Newness Wears Off

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am a huge car person! So you can only imagine how excited I was when I signed a lease to a new car a few weeks ago! Learning about all the new features and enjoying the bells & whistles have been so much fun and makes it just a bit easier to make those monthly payments! However, there will come a day that my car will get older, and the new gadgets will be a thing of the past. All of a sudden, the excitement of driving this new car becomes the dread of maintaining the upkeep of the car and wishing you could have something else to drive every day. 

I noticed this in my own life when I started my new job a little over a week after I won Miss International. With all the excitement of decorating my new office, getting to know the staff and students, and a nice increase in salary, I didn't even realize that I would have to wake up earlier than I have in awhile, and make a commute that would be much more difficult. Once the newness of my job wore off, I found myself becoming increasingly irritated when my alarm would go off at 5:00 in the morning and would have to sit in traffic for at least 45 minutes. 

During my prayer and devotional time one morning, I felt God speak to me in my spirit. He impressed to me to remember why I accepted this position in the first place. I absolutely LOVE working with children and teens and this opportunity allows me a chance to be in their world in a different capacity! I also know that there are people who are unemployed and would trade places with me in a second in order to have a job and bring home a paycheck again. 

I write this in order to encourage all of us to remember the positive when the newness of a job, car, title (etc.) wears off. It's easy to complain and want something bigger, better or different. However, God has blessed us with an incredible life full of people and material possessions that some would only dream of. Take some time to remember how you felt when it was all new, and this will help you put things in perspective!

Continuing to break the stigma,

Elise Banks
Miss International 2015