It has been said that “Thanksgiving is all about getting our entire dysfunctional family under the same roof and hoping the police don’t get called!” According to my internet connection, cranberry sauce is the most hated item on the Thanksgiving table. The second most hated dish is the turkey – can you believe it! The list goes on naming green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and dressing! The list goes on to mention ham, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, corn, and carrots! What are we supposed to enjoy? We had better be careful or we will outlaw barbecue from Independence Day celebrations!
My reason for this article is to concentrate on the positive elements of Thanksgiving instead of the negative. Love is an essential part for Christian Americans and Thanksgiving is an American ideal. Of all the Christian qualities, love is paramount! There are enough “haters” in the world, but far too few “lovers”! Love is essential for all of us. It is vital for a relationship with God and is just as important for our relationship with those we live around daily. Loving God is usually easy, but loving people around us is often one of the most difficult, challenging tasks required by our Heavenly Father. But being void of love makes us spiritually bankrupt, socially outcast, and without the purpose and power with which God has endowed us all.
In Scripture, we hold up I Corinthians 13 as the Love Chapter. In its first three verses, I believe it outlines love as no other place in English literature and makes it clear that love matters in all parts of live.
First, no matter what I say! We may exhibit great oratory skills, communicate flawlessly, and always to the point, but until we demonstrate love in all practical circumstances of life, our words matter little if any. Love is most of all practical! The idea that love requires the abandonment of all “gray matter” is fictional at best and normally disastrous! “Your actions speak so loudly that I can’t hear a word you are saying” is not only a common saying, but also it is the truth!
There is a lot of talk in music and conversation about love, but in our society, most of that talk is about the exact opposite of love, which is “LUST”! If my talk is about my wants or even my “needs”, it is rarely based on love. Much of today’s rhetoric is infantile! We are like the infant who has not had the opportunity to learn to love. Everything revolves around the child’s comfort – his likes and dislikes! When it is all about us, it is most often voice of love!
So, if at the Thanksgiving dinner table, when “Crazy Karen” brings up the Democrats, love her enough to just nod your head!
Second, no matter what I give! Gifts are wonderful and should be in great supply and given often. But what is the motive behind gift giving? If it is about “a gift for a gift”, it totally misses the point of gift giving! I believe the only acceptable gifts are those given with hearts filled with love. It is the story recently in the news about a Burger King employee. A man came in and asked, “What can I buy with two quarters – that’s all I have?” The youth asked, What menu item would you like?” The man told him what he would order if he had the cash, and the young man placed the order and used his personal debit card to cover the expense.
The gifts that bring me the greatest pleasure are those who do not know who they are from and are so out of the ordinary that it surprises the loved one.
So, if at the Thanksgiving table, “Uncle Bob” seems out of of it and not part of the crowd, give him a place in your life and spend some extra time with him instead of time on your phone!
Third, no matter what I do! It is unfortunate that many people perform what would be loving acts if they possessed the right spirit in their activities. Some great acts of kindness and love are done with such devious motives that the recipient wishes it had not been done. It reminds me of things I have done right, but for the wrong reason and the pain I brought into the situation and the relationship.
When I check my actions with my heart and ensure my heart is in the right place, I will find my actions will be pleasing to those around me and will bring my Lord glory.
So if at the Thanksgiving dinner table there are three people who want the turkey leg, be the one who accepts the thigh or maybe even a wing!
All relationships, both personal and impersonal, should flow from love for God and His creatures! Thanksgiving must never become “turkey day” but a celebration of love for each other. I need to love unconditionally with everything I give, and with everything I do!
