Thanksgiving Heart Preparation 101
Two days until Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving in advance! I sensed an urgency to prepare my friends for the BIG day! First of all let me say how thankful I am for you! I can’t overstate how much my social media family means to me. I am ever grateful that you read my blogs and hopefully glean something from them that helps make your day and your life. I know that God gave me this platform to celebrate Him and all that knowing Him affords: peace, comfort, joy, zest for life, faith, hope, and untold blessings. I’m glad we’re a part of God’s great, big family.
I love Thanksgiving so much — the fall weather, the yummy food, warm smells coming from the kitchen and embracing my people. Still, I can’t ignore the quiet rumblings of some hearts who aren’t all up in the Thanksgiving celestial, sharing and caring traditions. Maybe that’s you. You may feel overwhelmed. Or forgotten. You may feel out of place. You may feel stressed and frustrated. You may feel disappointed or anxious with worry. Or just incredibly lonely.|
In a world filled with social media posts with “perfect families” as their featured photos, it can feel like an empty place for hurting hearts. But, please, let’s not go there. Let’s flip that aching heart around, because of Who we are and Whose we are! Thanksgiving is about giving thanks. It is a time for us to give thanks for the things that really matter: the inner peace that settles us when we are afraid. The inner calm that rises above obstacles and calls us to be brave. The inner voice that steadies us when the world crashes around us. We give thanks for the countless blessings we receive despite the odds against us. We give thanks for our Creator Who sees us, knows us and accepts us just as we are – even when we feel lost on some days – maybe like this one today.
That is the beauty of Thanksgiving. I hope you’ll be at a table with those you are proud to call your own. But if you find yourself at a table that isn’t a “comfort zone” – embrace the opportunity that you are there – making a difference because you are loved by God and you get to be His representative at that table. Smile and breathe. Connect with God’s voice that says “You are enough! You are so very loved. You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are brave!”
Remind yourself of the ONE Who is right there with you and Who makes your family of plenty or your family of one, so very loved.You have permission to be exactly who you are and to be reminded that you are enough. Allow the servant part of you to open your arms and serve. Hmmm! I wonder who that sounds like! It was Jesus Who sat in a room full of lovers and haters, some deniers, some rejecters. His kind-of-serving doesn’t feel like a burden at all. Instead, it’s something we naturally long to do, where the act of giving becomes a natural expression of our heart.
Whatever your table looks like, I promise there is no obligation greater than the one you have to yourself: to be sure you realize how loved you are. You are worthy of being seen and known. You are worthy of being fought for. Be thankful you are loved by the One Who loves you most. I love you and I pray this is a Thanksgiving in your heart and soul – like none ever before.