A Thanksgiving Prelude!

.Next week we will celebrate with this nation Thanksgiving. Our prayers go out to all of those who may not feel as thankful this year due to job loss, or other life-altering events that have shaken their world. I want to give an encouraging word today that He is yet the God that can do the impossible. More times than I can remember, as my children were growing up, I faced an empty checking account before a celebratory day. I told this story before, but permit me to share it again

One yesr things were particularly lean. It was Christmas. We had always gotten a real tree and tried to make Christmas very special for the children. Tradition dictated that weeks before I would begin preparations and decorate the house, make cookies, play Christmas music. I have to admit that finances, or shall I say the lack of them, had me down. During my devotion one morning, I felt the unction to “arise” out of my depressed state and begin to celebrate the upcoming season. I began to look around the house for little decorations, I had the children color things and put them up; I kept the radio on all day on Moody which at that time was playing Christmas music continuously. But with all that I could gather, we still didn’t have a tree. But I did have wrapping paper from previous years. I cut out a huge Christmas tree and taped it on the wall in the living room, and had the children put the ornaments that they had made on the tree. I even cut out paper boxes with bows to put under the tree.

Well we got to Christmas Eve and one of the brothers from church came by to drop something off – he saw our “tree” – later he returned and brought one of the tallest, most beautiful Christmas trees I had ever seen. He later said that the Holy Spirit had told him to bring us a tree, but it was not until he came by the first time that he believed that voice! Needless to say, that was only the beginning of what turned out to be one of the best Christmases ever!

I’m not going to debate how important a tree is when house notes are past due, cars are in danger of being repossessed, there is no food in the frig – the list could go on – but the way God provided for my family that Christmas with a tree – something we could have lived without – produced a faith in me for so many things that we needed to live! For there were many days after that when the needs were much greater than what to give the kids at Christmas.

When we put our trust in God and become thankful for what we do have – (and all of us have something to be grateful for) – it’s amazing how God will surprise us with the desires of our hearts. Please know I am not attempting to minimize the very real hardships that I know people are facing – and pain is relative to the experience of the person – but I do want to say that there is a God who has told us:

I’ve learned by now to be quite content whatever my circumstances. I’m just as happy with little as with much, with much as with little. I’ve found the recipe for being happy whether full or hungry, hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.
And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from his glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.Phi. 4: selected verses (MSG) and (NLT)

Kairos,
Maria

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