Thanksgiving
is a week away, and the holidays are in full force.
November
is a whirlwind, like any other month in the past few years. We didn’t do anything really big, but this is
the first month of the school year that I feel like we are finally in our groove
and things are humming along. And just
like that, Thanksgiving is knocking.
Everyone
I know is finalizing plans for the holidays: Where are you having Thanksgiving
dinner? Are you free for a holiday
party? When is your family coming for
Christmas? What can I bring for the
party? What do the kids want this
year?
I
dole out answers as I know them, but many of them are unknown. Some of them are left to the asker to
decide. I am thankful for a full plate
of loved ones who are concerned about spending time with us, but
I feel the holiday tide threatening to overwhelm me.
When
I feel like complaining about the busyness of the holidays, I remember that
there are many for which Thanksgiving or Christmas is just another day. For each thing I write on my list to do,
there is a person who doesn’t have anything to do but survive these days, someone
who sees no difference between Christmas and the day that they got their only pair of shoes
stolen.
As
I’m fighting against the menace of EVERYTHING HOLIDAY RIGHT NOW HURRY UP YOU’RE
RUNNING OUT OF TIME there is a person who has nothing but time, hours ahead of
him containing nothing but hunger.
My
blessings are highlighted when I think of the needy. I have so much – how did I get it? What is it about me that I’m allowed to sit
here in my warm house while there are people in the world who haven’t lived in
a warm house in years, maybe never?
The
answer is not that I’m smarter, or better, or luckier, or loved more. The answer is that I don’t know. I don’t try to find the answers. I’m not sure that I want to know them.
But
God does, and just as he made me, he made everyone. Just as he provides for me, he provides for
the needs of everyone. That’s as far as
it goes. The rest is in his plan.
I
feel like God has given me a responsibility to help and to give to others who
don’t have. Do I give what I have? Maybe, if it’s appropriate. What is more important is to give what is
needed. How can I know what other people
need?
We
can ask them. We can ask others who have
provided for them. We can buy items off
a list of previous gifts given and used.
Or we can ask God.
What
is God telling me to do this holiday season?
What is my role in helping him provide for others? How can I share my thankfulness? These are questions that I do not have the
answers to right now. I trust that God
will show me.
In
the meantime, at the beginning of yet another holiday season, I am reminded to
share and to give, all the while thanking God for what he has given me.
Dear God, show me what I
can do to share your love this holiday season.
Help me to see clearly the opportunities that you have provided only to
me. Thank you, Amen.
*******
The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him
with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in
songs of thanksgiving. Psalm 28:7 (NLT)
Always give thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20 (ERV)
If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If
God has given you leadership
ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing
kindness to others, do it gladly. Romans 12:8 (NLT)
Amen! I'm also looking for what I can do to give back a tiny portion of what I've been given. (Because I could never give it all).
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right. In addition, I do what I can and try not to worry about the things that I've missed. After all, they might have been someone else's opportunity. Thank you Jennie!!
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