Thanksgiving musings...

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I'm thankful for a lot of things.

My husband.
My children.
My family members... every.single.one.

But, that's not what this post is going to be about.

This past Sunday, our family had the opportunity to visit my cousin's church in Colorado Springs. We headed that way to see them for a bit while my grandpa was visiting.

During the service, they showed a video made the day before of their church members putting together these insane boxes of food (canned goods, turkey, etc) to hand out to 800 families in their community that maybe otherwise wouldn't be able to have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with their families.

Let's face it; even though there are no presents involved, Thanksgiving is an expensive holiday.
You go through all month with your normal grocery bill and then have ONE DAY where you spend as much as you would spend for at least a week of food!

I really love Thanksgiving. It's full of fun and fellowship. We spend the day remembering the ways we are blessed with some of the people who happen to BE those blessings in our lives.

I love it.

But, shopping for it stresses me out.

You see, my family has been on the receiving end of this "giving thing" for a long time now.

We've always had just enough.

Occasionally we get a little extra (but it never fails... as soon as we get a little extra, something huge or unexpected comes up). God has always provided our needs and I'm so so grateful for that.

We have been SO blessed by people who are willing to give to us. Being in a ministry where we raise our own support can be stressful, but it gives you hands on experience trusting God for your every need.

That's why it was so amazing to see people giving up their Saturday to give something to so many families who may not otherwise been able to have a meal on Thursday that is simply assumed for so many others.

We weren't one of the families that received a box from that church (we don't live in the area), but we did receive a voucher from our town that allowed me to pick up a turkey and some other ingredients to make Thanksgiving memorable and festive for our family. I'm so grateful.

So, please, if you see one of those donation boxes and you can spare a few cans of condensed soup or a box of stuffing, throw in a couple things. You may be changing this Thanksgiving from one of need to one of overwhelming blessing. You might bring so much relief to a mother who wasn't sure how to make a special meal for her kids. You may just make it possible for a family of children to go to school not ashamed of their Thanksgiving stories, but so excited to share with their friends about what they got to eat.

And, you might be blessed in the process.

Paul tells the Corinthians:

"You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God."   2 Corinthians 9:11-12

In saying this, he's not promising wealth to those who give generously, but he is encouraging them to share because as they do, people will be helped and will praise God and pray for them. They may not be blessed in return in financial ways, but maybe in the unseen spiritual realm. And, I think that's pretty great, too.

We don't have a lot, but we know that everything we have has been given to us by God, so it's not ours anyway. We try to share when we can. And I encourage you to do the same.

So, from someone who is truly blessed by the generosity of others, I encourage you to think about what you can do to be a blessing to someone this holiday season.

It doesn't have to be huge... tiny gestures can go a long way.

Leave a comment it you come up with something or have a story to share so we can encourage each other!
And, Happy Thanksgiving!
-kt