"Give thanks to the Lord; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
Last Tuesday, the weather forecast for our area was very frightening. There was a significant threat of severe weather, and our entire community was holding our collective breath. As the day dawned, we all watched the radar, expecting the worst. We are still reeling from the effects of the horrific storms in April, and I just prayed, "Lord not yet. It is too soon. We can't handle it all again just yet." He listened.
Instead of spending the day in the basement, I spent the day with my Mom. A soft, misty rain fell all day, but I never heard so much as a clap of thunder. I so enjoyed having a long overdue vacation day and that rare opportunity to have lunch, "just the two of us." It was such a wonderful day and wonderful way to kick off my Thanksgiving celebration. I am so thankful to have been raised by this sweet, strong lady who taught me to love the Lord. Thank you, Mama, for all your sacrifices for our family and for your example of grace and love. You are a beautiful reminder to me of all that is good.
When I got home, I spent the afternoon baking a cake with my precious babies, and right after I slipped it into the oven, I got a text from a dear friend to go outside and see the amazing double rainbow that was over our neighborhood. You see, that Tuesday, God chose not to send us horrible storms, but instead to send our community a reminder of His everlasting love for us.
The Central Church of Christ family kicked off our Thanksgiving celebration Tuesday night with a delicious church family fellowship meal and service dedicated to praising His holy name. At this service, we were blessed to hear from three different men who shared their perspectives on Thanksgiving and how the holiday has special meaning to all of us, for different reasons, at different times in our lives. We sang songs of praise, prayed together, and thanked the Lord for His abundant blessings. At the end of the night, we all rejoiced as a young sister chose to be baptized into Jesus. What an amazing ending to one of the best days I have had all year! God is so good!
The next morning, the Mission Athens team rose early to begin our Thanksgiving preparations. Our vision was to prepare family-size meals to deliver to our town's homeless families with kids. Many of these families were living in motels, staying with friends, etc. We prepared 20 baskets for over 100 people.
We were joined by brothers and sisters from all over town who have volunteered to be a part of our team to serve as the hands and feet of Jesus in our community. A very special sister who has a true spiritual gift of organization (and perhaps a slight case of OCD, but in a good way) :), rallied her troops and put us to work chopping, slicing, dicing, sauteeing, and creating.
A small army worked to prepare all the Thanksgiving trimmings, including cornbread dressing, sweet potato casserole, pies of all varieties, green beans, corn and rolls to go along with the tea and turkeys that were donated by people from all over town.
We prepared as many of the dishes in advance on Wednesday as we could, and stored them all in refrigerators over night. Several sweet little girls made homemade Thanksgiving "God Bless You" cards to insert in each of the families' baskets. They also rolled up their sleeves and helped us organize plates, napkins and serving ware for each family.
The next day, the Mission Athens team yet again rallied at around 5 AM to put together the final touches. All the food was cooked and kept in warmers, and around 11 o'clock, our delivery crew loaded up and headed out, sharing God's love with those less fortunate in our community.
What an amazing week of blessings! We had so much fun working together to serve the world, and it was truly an inspiration to see children, teens, moms, dads and seniors all coming together to share the love of Jesus with our neighbors.
Later that day, as my own family gathered for our Thanksgiving celebrations, I said an extra prayer of thanks. You see, as much as I hate to admit it, sometimes the holidays can be too stressful for me, and I lose my perspective. As I am happy to have time off from work, I also sometimes resent all the work of being a mom. Cleaning, decorating, shopping, planning, cooking, serving, cleaning again, etc., can just make me crazy, you know?
As I was preparing food with the fantastic Mission Athens team for moms who were going to have to eat with their children in small hotel rooms, I felt ashamed for my bad attitudes in years past. Here my Father has given me so much, and I too often complain about it! All of a sudden, setting my table with my wedding china that has to be washed by hand was a blessing, not a burden. Welcoming my family and friends into my "somewhat clean" house was a reminder that I have people on this earth who love me and don't care if there are kids' shoes and backpacks by the door. I left some toys in the living room instead of barking at the kids to "Clean UP! Company's coming!" Instead, I let them play and thanked God we have a safe home and toys for our kids.
As the holiday season is now in full swing, let us all take the time to count our blessings and remember to give thanks to the Lord who has blessed us beyond measure. Let us also continue to look for opportunities to share His goodness with those around us who, just like us, need Him so much. Praising God today for the BEST. THANKSGIVING. EVER!
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