Have you followed Freddy? Currently, the World Cup is happening across North America, and many of the matches are being played in American cities. A German named Freddy was fortunate enough to get a seat for the Houston game, where Portugal faced the Democratic Republic of Congo. The game itself was exciting, with the world-famous Ronaldo playing for Portugal and DR Congo scoring its first World Cup goal, but the match ended in a 1-1 tie.
The real story, however, was not the game. It was the new folk hero who attended it: Freddy, a man who landed in Atlanta, Georgia, began driving toward the stadium, and documented his journey through the American South under the pseudonym @fredyla7 on social media. His videos became a witness to the simple joys of the American experience.
People from around the world began laughing, singing, and celebrating things many Americans take for granted: ranch dressing, brisket, air conditioning, clean gas stations, free refills, friendliness, abundance, and a general freedom of life. Freddy’s joy over ordinary blessings reminds Christians that what we choose to notice shapes not only our attitude, but also our witness.
What made Freddy’s story resonate was not that America is perfect, but that he noticed blessings many had stopped seeing. Norman Peale once authored a book called The Power of Positive Thinking. The title truly gives away the book, but the deeper truth behind disciplined focus is not new. Paul, by inspiration, had already written, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
The attributes in Philippians should be the focus of our lives. That does not mean Christians deny suffering, pretend evil is harmless, or ignore grief. It means we refuse to let darkness become the only thing we see. It is easy to become downtrodden, to focus on the negative, and to live in fear of that roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Certainly, there are seasons when life feels stripped of joy, as Job’s did. There are moments when sorrow, guilt, and despair feel overwhelming, as Judas felt in Matthew 27:3-5. In such moments, the old phrase drawn from this kind of thinking becomes powerful medicine: “Count your blessings.”
Jesus said, “The eye is the lamp of the body. …if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!” (Matthew 6:22-23). What we focus on helps determine the light within us. God calls His people to let that light be the light of righteousness, blessing all who see it, as described in Matthew 5:14-16. That light is kept in the spiritual heart, and we must “keep [our] heart[s] with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).
God understands how we think, and He knows our minds can become a jumble of negative thoughts and emotions. The Hebrew writer tells us to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” We must be close enough to one another to recognize when discouragement is piling up, when hard times are weighing someone down, and when a brother or sister needs help remembering what is still true, lovely, commendable, and worthy of praise. Paul tells the Thessalonians to “encourage one another and build one another up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
Freddy made many Americans feel good about themselves in a time when political, cultural, and racial divisions seem to dominate public attention. He saw the joys of blessings in a country that was not his home. Christians should help the world see something even better in the country of Christ. We do that when our gratitude is visible, when our homes are hospitable, when our speech builds up instead of tears down, when our worship is sincere, and when our hope remains steady in troubled times. If the world sees those blessings clearly, perhaps it will long to become citizens of that better country.
As the hymn by Johnson Oatman Jr. says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your blessings, see what God hath done.”
Lance Byers