Generally, I can get things ready for Thanksgiving meals, which as most every woman knows, is a whole lot of work. Tables set, fall decorations in place, meals planned, shopping done, food prepared, folk greeted at the door. I am not so great at planning what I can only call the Thanksgiving “program”—whatever else happens at these festive meals—planned table conversation, prayers, discussion questions, historical notes, etc. (Well, I could probably be good at it, but there isn’t enough energy, time or determination.)
This year, I assigned the Thanksgiving Day “program” responsibilities to my husband. He is a minister, however, and a superb programmer. “I don’t want the ‘tell one thing you are thankful for’ idea; that has become hackneyed,” I instructed.
Fortunately for David, the morning office for Thanksgiving Day was perfect to read before we sat down to eat:
Let us give thanks to God our Father for all his gifts so freely bestowed upon us.
For the beauty and wonder of your creation, in earth and sky and sea,
We thank you, Lord.For all that is gracious in the lives of men and women, revealing the image of Christ,
We thank you, Lord.For our daily food and drink, our homes and families and friends,
We thank you, Lord.For a mind to think, and a heart to love, and hands to serve,
We thank you, Lord.For health and strength to work, and leisure to rest and play,
We thank you, Lord.For the brave and courageous, who are patient in suffering and faithful in adversity,
We thank you, Lord.For all the valiant seekers after truth, liberty, and justice,
We thank you, Lord.For the communion of saints, in all times and places,
We thank you, Lord.Above all, we give you thanks for the great mercies and promises given to us in Christ Jesus our Lord;
to him be praise and glory, with you, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
In addition, after we had eaten and were sitting around talking, David asked us to consider this question: “Looking back on your life, and apart from your own family, can you tell us about one person you are grateful for?”
What resulted was a lovely discussion, recalling for us all the huge variety of people who come our way and bring us love or encouragement or unusual gifts. My daughter, Melissa, was grateful for a new friend who included her in farm-style kitchen gatherings—canning tomato sauce and dill pickles toward the end of summer. A couple recounted a friend who aged over the years that they came to know him and gave them a gift in understanding the aging process—a gift for the days ahead. As each unique individual was named and the reason for gratitude was explained, I began to sense how amazing is the variety of people who come into our lives and leave behind sweetness of one kind or another.
I have been thinking about this question for a couple of weeks: I have been formed (as have all of us) by an amazing conglomerate of humans who have touched my life for a season, who pop back into my days and surprise me with their growth and challenge me to keep my own growth growing. Some have taught me how to suffer wisely. Some have kept me laughing. Some have challenged my mind and my abilities. Some have lavished upon me their approval. Some have told me what I do well; others have reminded me of what I do poorly. Some just love me (I rarely go through a day without my husband telling me how much he loves me, or how brilliant I am—lucky woman).
I’ve been spending time thinking about all these folk who have played some kind of role in my life. I’m hoping I’ll find time to write down the names of all these folk for whom I am grateful since my thinking may not circle back this way again. Kudos, David. Great question.
Award-winning author Karen Mains has long had an interest in spiritual formation and the obedient Christian walk. She has written about the God Hunt in her book by the same name, The God Hunt: The Delightful Chase and the Wonder of Being Found. A hardback copy can be ordered from Mainstay Ministries for $10.00 plus $4.95 shipping and handling. Contact Karen at info@mainstayministries.org and she will be happy to autograph a copy for you.
Karen continues to write content for her Christian blog, “Thoughts-by-Karen-Mains.” In so doing, she desires to touch the lives of Christian women and men and help them find ways to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. In addition, through silent retreats, spiritual teaching, women’s retreats, Christian vacation opportunities, and other ministry activities, Karen helps each Christian woman and man receive vital spiritual food.
Through her Hungry Souls ministry, Karen serves as a spiritual coach to many Christian women and men, and teaches a mentor-writing class. And, through the Global Bag Project, she is working to develop a network of African women who sew exquisite cloth reusable shopping bags, Africa bags. This micro-finance women opportunity helps provide a much-needed sustainable income for struggling African families. For more information on this critically important project, please click here.
For decades, Karen and her husband, David, have served God through religious communications—radio, television, and print publication. They are the co-authors of the Kingdom Tales Trilogy: Tales of the Kingdom, Tales of the Resistance, and Tales of the Restoration. To find many valuable resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries main website, please click here.
Likewise, pastors will find special resources to help them prepare effective, life-transforming Sunday sermons by visiting David Mains’ website by clicking here.
