My heart is heavy as Mayors and Governors in some states make mandates to cancel Thanksgiving. Threatening constituents with fines and even imprisonment if they invite anyone besides the immediate family living in the house and encouraging neighbors to report on each other! Setting an arbitrary number of how many people can enjoy Thanksgiving together . . . and on and on the restrictions go.
As if canceling Thanksgiving, a time when we gather together to give gratitude to God for our many blessings, is going to be a way to eradicate COVID?!
First, it was closing our churches and now closing our homes and cancelling holidays.
This does not sound like the America we ask God to bless.
When I hear of these draconian threatening measures treating adults like children or even criminals, a wave of remorse comes over me. Hundreds of people can gather together with strangers in Walmart, Costco, Grocery stores, and casinos, but don’t you dare have extended family and friends in your home for Thanksgiving fellowship!
I appreciate the common sense message from South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem to her state in a series of tweets. Here are several quotes from her.
In South Dakota, we won’t stop or discourage you from thanking God and spending time together this Thanksgiving.
I’ll continue to encourage each and every one of you to exercise personal responsibility and make smart choices for yourselves and your loved-ones. As you dig in to enjoy that delicious turkey and stuffing, make sure that everyone in your household is practicing good hygiene. Wash your hands. If someone in your family is in the vulnerable population, take extra precautions to keep them safe.
Smaller gatherings may be smarter this year. Let’s make sure to use common sense when we’re planning our celebrations. If you or someone in your family is sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, it may be best to stay home and join your loved-ones over FaceTime, Skype, or another app. As we learn more about COVID symptoms, it can be hard to keep track of them all, so visit the CDC website to refresh your memory.
Let’s all take the time to remember what Thanksgiving is all about – thanking God for everything that he has blessed us with in our lives. During difficult times, it’s important to be extra thankful for what we have.”
I would add to be mindful of anyone we know who is spending Thanksgiving alone. If possible, take them a meal or have one sent to them. We need each other now more than ever!
Tensions Over Turkey
For those of you, like our family, who are still going to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner together, the election could be as contentious around the table as it is around the country.
During our small group prayer request time, a reoccurring request went something like this: Please help us be a light on Thanksgiving among those with differing political and faith beliefs.
In the fragile aftermath of a volatile contested election, I imagine many of you are having similar concerns and conversations. I remember my mom cautioning that if you want to keep the peace, don’t talk about religion or politics. As a kid, I never understood that warning. Believers are supposed to tell everyone about Jesus. Since being a Christian is our first identity . . . how could we not talk about our Savior? And isn’t everyone entitled to his or her own political opinion?
Then I grew up!
If you follow me, you know I’m bold about being a born-again Christian. But as I wrote in Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten: “Bold doesn’t mean obnoxious. It simply means not being afraid to speak the truth, even in the face of adversity: ‘Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold’ (2 Cor. 3:12).” For example, if someone asks what I write, I answer, “Christian nonfiction.” Or I’ll say, “I’m a Christian author and speaker.”
For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. Philippians 1:20 NLT
Is Thanksgiving a Religious Holiday?
That could be an awkward question in some circles.
When I mentioned to a group that I hoped people would set their differences aside on Thanksgiving Day, one response was, “It’s just a time for eating a lot of food, watching football, and shopping online anyway.”
Me: “I’m pretty sure the first pilgrims who celebrated Thanksgiving didn’t have TV or Amazon.
Another responded: “Well at least Thanksgiving isn’t a religious holiday.”
I asked: “Who then are we thanking?”
Complete silence.
Of course, God is the answer.
Abraham Lincoln made it an official national holiday “as a day of thanksgiving and praise to Almighty God, the beneficent Creator and Ruler of the Universe.”
Yes, Thanksgiving is a time of family and friends gathering, but as we sit around the feast together, we can’t thank each other, or aliens, or the “big bang” for giving us life, the sun, the moon, the trees, the ability to grow the food, the earth, the waters, the sky, sweet babies, and all the blessings we enjoy.
We read in Genesis that God spoke everything into being, and yet, many of us will be sharing turkey and dressing with people who don’t believe or discount the existence of God. They don’t know where they’re going when they die, or where everything we enjoy on earth came from . . . and maybe they don’t even care. They’ll walk out of the room when we pray before the meal, and may try and bait us into an argument over who we voted for and why. Maybe after a few drinks, their conversation will turn ugly, even though innocent young eyes are watching how the “adults” interact.
Yes, my husband and I have been thinking and praying about all of this and beseeching God to prepare us to be a light in the darkness . . . not ignore the darkness because that would be the cowards way out . . . but to help us respond as if Jesus was standing behind us speaking through us.
As I prayed and talked to the Lord, here’s a list I hope will help us, and maybe help you. I’d love to hear your ideas too.
Don’t worry what to say—“Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.” Mark 13:11 (Jesus was talking to his disciples if they were arrested, but it could apply to us too if we felt our faith was being tested or put on trial.)
Speak kind words— “Kind words are like honey— sweet to the soul and healthy for the body.” Pr. 16:24 NLT
For your part, maintain peace—“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” Romans 12:18
Don’t ask or answer antagonistic questions— “Interfering in someone else’s argument is as foolish as yanking a dog’s ears.” Pr. 26:17 NLT
Play with any children present— “We will tell the next generation about the glorious deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders.” Ps 78:4 NLT
Don’t drink— “Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18 NLT
Smile, Smile, Smile— “Fix my eyes on God— soon I’ll be praising again. He puts a smile on my face. He’s my God.” Psalm 42:5 The Message
Listen— “Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.” Pr. 12:15 NLT
Take a deep breath and think before you speak—“There is more hope for a fool than for someone who speaks without thinking.” Pr. 29:20 NLT
Less is more—“The more words you speak, the less they mean. So what good are they?” Ecc. 6:11 NLT— There’s “A time to be quiet and a time to speak.” Ecc. 3:7 NLT
Say mind prayers continuously.—“Pray continually.” 1 Thess. 5:17
Have a secret sign or word between you and someone else that signals: Let’s change the subject or move into the other room.—“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.” Ecc. 4:9
If you’re hosting—Pray and thank God for each guest. Ask to be a blessing and to share joy. Pray over your home and each chair at the table. Pray before the meal as you normally would; your guests know they’re coming to a Christian home.—“Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.” 1 Peter 4:9
If you’re a guest—As you walk up to the home pray that you’ll be a blessing and that God will stir up the fruit of the Spirit in your heart. If your hosts don’t pray before the meal, ask if you could say a prayer to bless the food. — “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” Gal. 5:22-23
Thanksgiving is a day for harmony and focusing on God and giving Him thanks and praise in whatever way He leads. Fiction writers have a saying: “Show don’t tell.” Which simply means: you don’t always have to speak Jesus with your words; you can show Jesus with your actions!
Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 NLT
Past Thanksgiving Blogs
Here are my past Thanksgiving blogs you might enjoy reading. I give thanks for each of you for following these Monday Morning Blogs and I pray you have a joyful, peaceful, healthy, and God-filled Thanksgiving Day.
Acquiring Overshadows Thanksgiving
What Are You Most Thankful For?
Love Your Body During the Holidays
Thanksgiving Tablecloth Idea
In Forsaken God? Remembering the Goodness of God Our Culture Has Forgotten, I share a way to use your tablecloth as a conversation piece and make memories for generations to come. Here is an excerpt from the book. I hope it gives you some ideas. I’ll be taking our memory-making tablecloth with us this Thanksgiving.
When my breast cancer journey started, I became keenly aware of making memories with my family. At times like that, you think seriously about your mortality and the legacy you want to leave with your loved ones. You appreciate each new day of life. The sun rising every morning is an act of God to celebrate.
Holidays like Thanksgiving have new meaning. Typically, Thanksgiving is a celebration where family and friends gather for a feast, and everyone says what they’re thankful for in the past year. But after finishing the dishes and putting away the leftovers, how many really remember what everyone said?
The Thanksgiving following my first breast cancer surgery, I had an idea of a Thankful Tablecloth. I purchased a Thanksgiving themed tablecloth with plenty of white space and a box of wash-resistant colored markers. After Thanksgiving dinner, I brought out the markers and asked everyone—kids included—to find a spot on the tablecloth to write what they were thankful for that year, sign, and date it. We traced handprints for the tiny ones with their name and age.
Today, we have years of thankful messages to read every Thanksgiving and remember the many acts of God’s goodness to us and the people who joined us at the celebration table each year. If we go to someone’s house for Thanksgiving dinner, I ask if I can bring our Thankful Tablecloth and markers.
When I go to be with the Lord, I pray my family will continue bringing out the Thanksgiving Tablecloth as a reminder through the generations of how good God has been to our family and friends.
I’m taking a blog holiday next Monday, but God willing, I’ll be back the first Monday in December.
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