Saltines for Thanksgiving

Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

(Proverbs 15:17)

Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right. (Proverbs 16:8)

Better is a dry morsel, and quietness therewith, than an house full of sacrifices with strife. (Proverbs 17:1)

Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit. (Ecclesiastes 4:6)

Thanksgiving is tomorrow.  I am amazed at the preparations that Sandy is making for this unique opportunity to enjoy family as we pause to thank God for His manifold blessings to us.  I am in awe as I realize that the meal we will enjoy is beyond the comprehension of many people around the world.  For many it will not be what they will eat for their meal, it will simply be whether they will eat.

We are a blessed people.  We live in a land of abundance.  Even the “poor” among us have a higher standard of living than the majority of the world.  Our blessings have been passed on to us by myriad predecessors who sacrificed, faced hardship and deprivation, and laid the foundation for our current standard of living.  Primarily, we must remember that our blessings have come from God Himself.  We can never earn these blessings, but we can at least show thankfulness for the gracious outpourings of God upon our lives.

I would be less than honest if I claimed that the wonderful meal together with family wasn’t being eagerly anticipated.  Thanksgiving is one occasion where family members make a concerted effort to gather and enjoy being with each other.  Perhaps your family is like ours and will have turkey as the main dish, or maybe you could choose to have ham.

What would be the reaction tomorrow if the family gathered together and all of the traditional foodstuffs were removed from the table?  In their place there would be a stack of saltine crackers.  Would we sit down and thank God for our bounty, or would we assume that a cruel trick was being perpetrated?  I have decided that there are some situations where I would be happy to have saltines for Thanksgiving.

I would be happy to have saltines for Thanksgiving if the people I love could live in peace and harmony with each other.  Perhaps even the political divide in our land could be spanned if folks would look beyond their own selfish desires and look for ways to bless others.

I would be happy to have saltines for Thanksgiving if I could once again see a move of God similar to what I experienced as a teenager.  It was during this time that the person of Jesus and the moving of the Holy Spirit became a reality in my life.  My faith was not only confirmed, but I surrendered to preach during this time of Spiritual renewal.

I would be happy to have saltines for Thanksgiving if it meant that my family would have their needs supplied.  My feast would be happily forfeited if I could see my family walking with the Lord and finding their joy and purpose in the will of God for their lives.

There are so many things that are far more important than a single sumptuous meal.  Perhaps we need to adjust our perspective and be thankful for our blessings of the past, but let’s also dedicate our lives in such a way that God will bless even more in the future.