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KEEPING A THANKFUL HEART FOR THANKSGIVING

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My sweet friends, Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Does that make you feel happy, anxious, sad, nervous, harried? As women, we often carry the Martha-like burden of making sure all the moving parts are in place and everything is ready for Thanksgiving day! I really understand that! Today let’s talk about keeping a thankful heart for Thanksgiving…

Until recent years most of the heavy lifting, including the big bird, as fallen to me here at StoneGable. And because most of my family does not live near that meant getting the house and guest room and bathrooms ready for a weekend full of family as well as planning, prepping and preparing lots of meals besides Thanksgiving dinner. And for me, I wanted everything to be over-the-top special, wonderful and perfect. By the time Thanksgiving dinner was on the table, I wanted to make this announcement…

“Dear family, I am so thankful for you and I want to sincerely thank everyone for coming! Enjoy dinner and please clean up after yourself. I’m exhausted and my last nerve has been plucked! I’m going to bed.” 

I was totally spent by then! Even though I did get lots of help I carried around the full weight of being responsible for Thanksgiving. Looking back, how silly! 

Because Thanksgiving is not about the turkey or the tablescape or the stuffing (say it ain’t so!) or football games or parades with big balloons with Santa and his sleigh at the end of it. Thanksgiving is a state of the heart! 

I mentioned Martha above and I think this story from Luke 10:38-42 is a perfect illustration. For a minute let’s go back to first century Israel as Jesus and His disciples are visiting their dear friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. 

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him.  She had a sister called Mary,who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.  But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”

 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,  but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Mary chose the better thing. And what was that? Sitting at the Lord’s feet listening to Him. 

The nugget of truth of this verse is not that Mary was lazy or that Martha was the frazzled and frustrated one left to do all the work. It was that in spite of all the preparation to be done the LORD was in their presence and spending time with Him was and is ALWAYS the better thing.

Yes, there was lots to be done! No doubt about it, but for that small amount of time that Jesus was sitting, and when Jesus sat He that often signaled He was teaching, the only response was to sit and hear Him.

The rest of the story is not told and I’m only guessing when I fill in the blanks that when Jesus got done talking He probably pitched in and helped. God is not a God to stand by. He gets into the thick of our lives.

My friends, I’ve learned so much over decades of Thanksgiving dinners. Like Martha, it was all about the preparation and a zillion things to be done.  What I really needed was to sit at the feet of my Savior early Thanksgiving morning when my house was quiet and all my chicks were in the nest and sleeping and spend time with Him.

Thanking Him for sleeping peeps, and a turkey to eat, and dirty dishes which are the sign of having plenty of food. Thanking Him for his saving grace that spread like the wildfire of the Holy Spirit through my family. Thanking him for a thousand little things and a thousand big things.

So all the other “stuff” of Thanksgiving seemed fun but small. Because acknowledging what God has done for me was the better thing and the right thing and the only best response to God on this day and every day!

This year, I pray that you will have a THANKS-giving day! Practicing the presence of God all day and keeping a running tab of not what you have to do but of what you are thankful for.

This Thanksgiving I’ll be thanking God for you! You are such a blessing in my life!

May the Lord bless you and give you thankful hearts! 

This week’s memorization verse:

GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD. HIS LOVE ENDURES FOREVER. PS 136:1 

 

 

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Comments

  2. Yvonne, you and your special Sunday lessons are one of the many things I am thankful for. I keep so many of them and reread them when life seems to be throwing us a curve ball.

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  7. Boy did I need to hear this! I’ve been preparing for a big Thanksgiving. I needed this perspective. God bless you!

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  9. Yvonne, thank you for your daily blogs, inspiration and biblical insight. May God bless you and yours on this upcoming Thanksgiving Day and always!

    Reply

  10. True Pearls of Wisdom spoken today!!! Thank you for sharing with the world! Blessings of Thanksgiving to you and your family!!

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  11. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Yes we do tend to get carried away with all the preparations, wanting everything to be perfect, grateful for your reminder of our Lord’s words.

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  12. Thank You so much for your message today. Sometimes we just need to be still and listen to God. Thanksgiving is a time for family ,friends ,good food and taking time out to look at all the gifts God has given us. Have a wonderful day with your family especially those grandchildren. God bless you and yours.

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  13. Thank you for always turning my heart to the Lord. Today my childhood friend called to tell me her Dad had passed away yesterday and I felt sad. We both know where he is and he did not linger nor suffer. But he was going to drive down to spend Thanksgiving with them and now there’s a void. Would we drive up there to have dinner with them? Don’t bring anything was her reply.
    We are relaxed after our decades of friendship and we shall enjoy each other’s company as our Thanksgiving Day is so different now. For both of us. I’m going to share with her what you wrote. No one needs to be worrying and neglecting our Savior on this day of thankfulness. For it is by God’s Grace we can have forgiveness. I’m so thankful for this. May your Thanksgiving be peaceful and joyous. I pray I’ll be a comfort in times of sadness and not an added burden.
    Once again, I’m thankful for your weekly post. God bless you this year!

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  14. Wow!! Just found your blog!! What a blessing!!! I say Amen!!! & Amen!!!! What a joy it is to finally understand this life lesson you’ve most graciously shared!! It truly allows us to enjoy the life the good Lord intends us to live!! Thank you for sharing!!! Have a blessed Thanksgiving!!!

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  16. Thank you for your beautiful messages each Sunday morning. Today’s message is especially poignant. Thank you and have a blessed Thanksgiving.

    Reply