It is amazing to me how God will turn the ordinary into the miraculous when you're looking for Him at work. The Bible is clear He is at work. As a matter of fact, Paul prayed specifically that the Lord would bring wisdom and revelation to a group of people. In Ephesians 1, Paul told the people of Ephesus..."I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, and his incomparably great power for us who believe." Now the work I'm referring may not always be pleasing to receive--I mean God is Holy after all. Sometimes the work is to chisel away a portion of your life which is not pleasing in His sight. It seems more often than not, that's the case with me. Sometimes, however, I get to experience my Lord in such a fresh and unexpected way IN THE ORDINARY--when He just reaches down from Heaven and makes His presence known just to tell me He loves me!
Does your family have any special traditions for Thanksgiving? Let me say from the very beginning I believe our culture is inundated with well-meaning traditions which take away from the presence of God; BUT, I had a precious sister-in-Christ suggest a wonderful Thanksgiving tradition to me several years back that has since become one of my very favorite things to do this time of year. It's called a Thanksgiving Tree. I am certain our tradition makes my Lord smile because He receives the glory He is due.
There are various ways to add one to your decor. In our home, it is a focal point during Thanksgiving & into the Christmas season. We get a series of dead branches, anchor them with rocks in a cleaned up soup can, hang hand-made leaves from them and wait for Thanksgiving to arrive. The whole process of preparing our tree is an opportunity for the girls and me to talk of our Creator and His magnificent creation. It involves a hike outside to find the perfect limb, each year rendering its own masterpiece. Our conversation inevitably leads to the seasons of life of trees, man and all living things. Its an opportunity to talk about life and death physically and spiritually. Then, there's the gathering of our leaves. We gather those most freshly fallen so the veining will be more evident as we make our crayon rubbings in red, orange, yellow and brown.
As the girls sit with crayons and scissors in hand, I read a favorite Thanksgiving story book called "Mary's First Thanksgiving" by Kathy-Jo Wargin. It's a simple children's book about a little girl named Mary who doesn't feel thankful. Her father tells her about the hard times the pilgrims had during their first years in the new land. It highlights their dependence on God during trying times and points out how the colonists placed five kernels of corn on their plates to remind them of the hardships they endured. The kernels represented the beauty and bounty of autumn, their love for one another, their love for family, their friendship with the Native Americans, and their freedom to worship God without fear. The book is a poignant reminder of those who have gone before us and of our basic dependence on God Almighty.
On Thanksgiving Day, BEFORE the meal, each member of our family & each friend takes one or two leaves and writes on the back side for what we're thankful to God. Then, we take turns stating OUT LOUD what we wrote before submitting our prayer of thankfulness to our Lord. Yes, some say lighthearted things which add laughter. I remember my dad, reluctantly participated in my new tradition one year. I finished the fixings a 'tad' later than anticipated. (Have I mentioned I'm always late?) So, he was thankful he was getting to eat while it was still Thanksgiving. :) The children are usually the sweetest. They're thankful for their pets or for having everyone together or for dessert. They remind me of how we're to come to Jesus because the Kingdom of Heaven belongs 'to such as these' (Matthew 19:14).
My most memorable year for what I, personally, was thankful was Thanksgiving 2010. As I sat across the table from our family's miracle that year, I couldn't help but have tears stream down my face as I read my reason to be thankful. The meal took back seat to the walking talking miracle who sat among us. My brother, the traumatic brain injury patient, who had suffered strokes/seizure(s) & was mostly blind, was sitting and eating dinner with me. Our Lord had seen fit to save him at least three times for ME to hug and to love for another Thanksgiving. (Have I mentioned how much my Lord loves me?)
Remembering the Holy Spirit's presence in that ICU waiting room and His love through such wonderful friends who lifted us in prayer offering support in ways you can't imagine...In that instance of offering my gratitude to my Heavenly Father--for His Love most of all, His presence fell on our family and overwhelmed us as we remembered the reason for our miracle, the reason for our abundance, the reason for our lives.......to love Him and to seek His glory...on earth as it is in Heaven. Where HE IS, healing takes place. Where HE IS, lives change. Where HE IS, I am made new! So, in that ordinary preparation of 'saying Grace' before our meal, my Lord showed up. And, the aroma and sweet flavor His Presence brought was far better than anything I could have prepared.
If you decide to start the Thanksgiving Tree tradition in your family, let me warn you. Not everyone will embrace it with open arms...especially at first. It is my rule that if you eat at my Thanksgiving table, you must offer up gratitude for something. AND, it's not always easy to be honest, to make ourselves vulnerable in front of other humans for what we're really most thankful. Bearing our hearts in a sincere way takes time to master. I find this is especially so with men, but don't be put off by it. Each year brings new and sweeter fruit.... May you experience His Presence in your ORDINARY and Happy Thanksgiving!
Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God. Ephesians 3:17-19
I just finished a new book entitled HOUSE OF SECRETS by Tracie Peterson. I loved this book! It is about a family of three daughters struggling with the devastating effects of mental illness, schizophrenia, on their family. It is a story of God's redeeming love for this family and His healing power to transform lives many years after tragedy. The story is being told by the oldest daughter whose life seems to have been the most impacted by the illness of her mother. The daughter, Bailee Cooper, is reclusive, afraid of relationships and being hurt by those who might discover the baggage of her past. Though she has suppressed many of the events in her young life, they still seem to effect her. It's not until the father invites the three daughters to their summer home on the west coast the girls begin to put the puzzle pieces of the past together to enable healing. God's overwhelming Grace shines through this book. 
