Happy November! Thanksgiving is right around the corner and I'm getting my quota of pumpkin products made. I enjoy making and eating pumpkin pies, bars, bread, lattes, etc. While making pumpkin pies, I started thinking about the evaporated milk can, the one with the cows on the front. The company's motto says something about their cows' milk being best because it comes from contented cows.
As I stood at my kitchen window and looked out at a beautiful red maple against a crisp,clear Kansas blue sky I began to ponder contentment and realized that the most thankful hearts come from contented people!
Contentment means that we realize we have enough, whether it's food, shelter, clothing, money or other things. It really means that we are thankful or grateful for what God has done in our lives--with our "lot", so to speak.
We are content with where He has put us, with what He has given us to do, with the people He has given us to love and serve, with our talents and abilities and even our shortcomings. When we're truly content, we simply rest and trust because we're not busy trying to tell God what to do to improve our lives! (Disclaimer-I am a fairly content person, and usually a very thankful one but not always...sigh)
I read once that one of the best acts of thanksgiving is to be content. The Bible specifically tells us "be content with such things as you have, because He himself (Jesus) has said I will never leave you nor forsake you." Really....What more do we need? We don't need tons of money, the latest fashions or home furnishings, techno gadget or anything else if we could just grasp the reality of this promise.
Sharing our abundance - If we are not content with what we already have, we'll never be content with more...when is enough? If your home is like mine, we have more space than we use each day. (Except to store extra stuff!) We have more sets of dishes than we use daily, more clothes than we can wear in a week, more food than we need!!! I am always convicted to clean out and pass along those things we really don't need. I've been collecting and culling winter clothes and coats, gloves, scarves to pass along to others. Get your family involved...it's a great way to demonstrate to everyone how richly you have been blessed. We always cleaned out toys and books with the kids over as we explained that Christmas was coming and they could part with some of their things so other children could use and enjoy them. Sam Levenson, a comic and educator whose immigrant family lived in the city tenements, tells that his mama had a box for the poor. Even though they were the poor, they felt richer when they put some pennies in the poor box. Clean out your pantry and pass along extras to your community food bank. (Check expiration dates first.) Help serve or donate food for holiday meals. We all have something to give!
Sharing your home and hospitality -You don't need to create a perfect Norman Rockwell Thanksgiving feast for family and friends to make the day memorable. Simplify meals if you're entertaining, plan and cook ahead...the freezer and crock pot are your friends!
Keep an emergency stash of snacks, cookies, or even soup/chili you can pull out in a hurry for unexpected company. Even prepare for the very real but unwelcome possibility that your plans may be thwarted by the flu or weather and be ready with an alternate "feast" of chicken noodle soup or clear liquids. (My youngest son was 5 years old before he attended an extended family Thanksgiving as we had a run of illness those years!)
Remember that "less is more" in menu planning and decorating. Pour some popcorn into some mason jars with candles on top, or gather some nuts, leaves and pumpkins or gourds for a natural grouping.
Have a cider/hot cocoa bar, apple slices with caramel dip and popcorn for easy snacks.
Plan a family walk, football game, movie time or even look at old pictures and share times past.
Use paper plates for some meals or choose whatever shortcuts will help you relax and et to be part of the fun. The less you are stressed about entertaining, the more everyone around you will enjoy the day.
Share you heart...your gratitude and contentment - Look for ways to express your thanks and to let others share as well...a thankfulness journal, lists at each place at the table, leaves on a tree, etc. The more we find to be thankful for, the more we see how mightily God has worked in our lives and the more we will be content to let Him be God and trust in His care for us.
And last, but not least, lead those you are thankful with in a rousing chorus of "Come Ye Thankful People Come" or "Count Your Blessings". As that song goes, it really is amazing to see what God has done!
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