The perfect storm – Thanksgiving in transition Part I

“What are you guys doing to celebrate Thanksgiving?” It was a normal question for that time of the year. It was a normal question for someone to pose to ME (Mrs A-Holiday-Party-Waiting-To-Happen) It was even a normal person asking it. Yet, somehow, it came at exactly the wrong time. It was posed to the wrong person. It was even asked by the wrong cheerful friend. They all came together to create the perfect holiday storm!!!

How is that a woman who was Deanna’s daughter could grow up to look at ANY holiday with a sneer, let alone Thanksgiving or Christmas? Simple – my relationship with Father was growing and maturing to such a degree that anything that didn’t embrace and honor the Lord was really annoying to me.

“Thanksgiving?” I asked. “Yes, Thanksgiving.” (I’m sure she wanted to follow up with “Ever heard of it?” Good thing one of us exhibited some self control!) “The day we celebrate giving thanks?” Now, she wasn’t your average good friend, she was VERY smart and had perfected the art of subtle listening to the nuances of an annoyed Dawn. “Um…well….maaaayyyybbbbeeee.” (She could see the storm clouds a’brewing, no doubt.) “Gee, how grateful God must be that we take ONE day out of an entire year and focus on being thankful. Wow, aren’t we just the most loving children? I bet every parent wishes their children would be so thankful.” “Oh, MY – I just saw the time, we can discuss your Than…uh, holiday plans another time, okay?” And she was outta there! (I did say she was a VERY smart friend, right?)

This was the beginning of the year of the Perfect Holiday Storm. The year I refused to do anything to celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas. (Oh LORD, thank You for my gracious husband and children that allowed me this temper fit!) We made almost no special foods, we did virtually no decorating, I simply ignored the whole thing, hoping it would all go away. Instead, Father GRACIOUSLY taught me a new way to celebrate. Not one that honored the discovery of our country, not one that set ONE day apart for being thankful – since, as God’s children, we’re called to live a lifetime of thankfulness – but a way that put ALL the focus on Jesus….and on our Father.

He taught us of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles or Booths. The most joyful and festive of all feasts.  The celebration of the awesomeness of God’s past provision and the hope and anticipation of His future provision. For the children of Israel, it was the end of the harvest and the beginning of the rainy season. You see, London and Israel get the same amount of rain, the only difference is Israel gets it all within a few months. So, should the Lord not bless the future – especially with rain – there would be no harvest next year.

As the Lord led us to this celebration, we took this fall feast and simply moved it to become our Thanksgiving.  Granted, this meant we weren’t celebrating it at quite the “right” time, but we WERE learning to wrap celebrations around Jesus, as one would the ribbons on a Maypole.  It started off just a little bit of Sukkot added the next year.  I was only a small storm that year, mostly just frustrated that Thanksgiving came and went like a blip on the holiday radar.  Why couldn’t we….why wouldn’t we….why SHOULDN’T we stop and savor the goodness of our Lord, the sufficiency of our Savior? With each subsequent year, expanding the things we did.

In Part II, I will share more about Sukkot and give you an idea of the things that the Lord led us to understand about it and then I will share with you the absolutely DELICIOUS time I was able to enjoy in prayer last weekend and a few of the changes that we’re making this year.  I’m SO excited and I can’t wait to tell you about them!

Until then, Michelle has been studying Thanksgiving – the act of worshipful giving of thanks – do go read it.  It will do your soul good!  (This link is for her Part I, don’t miss Part II – it’s such good stuff!)

Jesus answered, “If I glorify Myself, My glory is nothing.  It is My Father who glorifies Me, of whom you say ‘He is our God.’           ~ John 8:54