CURE For CHAOS This Holiday Season ❤️‍🔥 HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING MY EXTENDED FAMILY!!!

Can you believe it’s that time of year again?

Every year it seems that the holiday season sneaks up on us. It feels like overnight we go from a sweltering 115 degrees to 50 degrees in …….But, with the change of season is a sure sign that the holidays are underway. This past year has been full of monumental moments that have marked us and moved us forward in great faith and growing thankfulness. But, the truth is that sometimes the holiday season is a time that makes it hard to ignore the loss, bereavement, loneliness, and lament in our life. It’s a present wrapped with a mix of experiences, emotions, and traditions. So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving and precede the holiday season I wanted to help prepare our hearts and homes for everything that this beautiful holiday season brings. 

Joy and anticipation hits me when I realize this will be the first year in 15 years that I get to celebrate this holiday season in my home country and now as a wife. (Last Thanksgiving was our 1st since being married and I was in Thailand with my husband for Missions).

So, what I am looking forward to this year during this holiday season? It is not lost on me the many, many times we mourned missing important gatherings (my birthdays, Easter, Christmas, New Years Crossover Service etc) during my 14 years overseas. It’s just that, from that deep sense of loss and sorrow, many beautiful, life-sustaining traditions were born such as friends-giving (friends fellowshipping together on Thanksgiving) and church family holiday celebrations. These traditions rooted me in a foreign place; the holidays and holy days, hard as they may have been, were sacred and special to me, for my own honoring of them. 

These hard-won traditions bolstered hospitality and oriented my sore heart back to Christ. When I was a medical student I tried as much as possible to extend our tables as far as they would go, to welcome others from different backgrounds and places to share in the goodness of God over a feast together. As an extended family we grew to love Thanksgiving, Christmas and the Cross over Service, scheming over whom we would invite, what we would serve, and what flowers would be in bloom to grace the table (usually hydrangeas). Oh yes, how different this day will look this year.

It’s another loss. The realization stings as viscerally as the tears. For any gain that side of our life overseas, there seems to be loss. We cannot escape it. These are moments where I pull out my phone to see the gallery, looking for images of familiarity, of comfort, of what became home away from home. Bright smiles on younger faces greet me, hot sunshine pouring through the photos, video of our times together with the decorations swaying in the breeze of our open window.

For all those 14 years, I felt the familiar grief of missing family, living overseas. India raised me well for 17 years, nourishing me with food, color, spices, and hospitality. From chickens and goats killed in honor of our visit to lavish wedding feasts, my childhood was rich with invitations to share food and life.

Now as a wife, imagining Christmas in our new house brings so much excitement — and also making it our sacred home where we now build new traditions. As I think about this, stories come to mind of how much richer my life has become whenever I have responded to God’s nudge to open my home(wherever that was) and my heart.

I absolutely love the holiday season and getting to spend so much quality time with my husband and those who become our Kingdom family, not to mention the amazing food that I love to cook for all!

My memories of 'Friends-giving' overseas is such a full time — full of joy, full of people, and full of perspective of what’s really important in life. With this comes the temptation to become overwhelmed by the fullness—a full schedule, a full house, and maybe even a full stomach (if we’re being real!) In the hustle and bustle, I find that the cure for the sometimes impending stress is the very reason we get together in the first place — thankfulness. 

This Thanksgiving I want to encourage you to sow peace in the place of chaos, to choose the gift of being present over the temptation to be distracted by your to-do’s, and to really focus on the why behind the holiday. We all know that we reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7), so what will you be sowing this week?

THE POWER AND PRACTICE OF THANKSGIVING

Let’s take some time to pause and meditate on these verses from Philippians 4:4-9 (emphasis added): “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”

THE POWER OF THANKSGIVING

Giving thanks shouldn’t just be relegated to one day a year, but rather it should be a lifestyle. After all, its power goes far beyond connecting us around a beautiful table. Thankfulness is the door to happiness and the gate to the courtroom of heaven (remember, we enter His gates with thanksgiving).

It is the key to unlock miracles. It’s the cure for arrogance, the inoculation for depression and it’s a force against the spirit of entitlement. Thankfulness is the fruit of humility and the offspring of gratitude towards God. Thankfulness has saved many a marriage, rescued children from the grips of bitterness, and delivered countless souls from the political spirit. Thankfulness is a field that must be cultivated, weeded, and seeded.

So what will you do to get the soil of your heart ready this season?

For those of you who face this holiday with fear, anxiety, or restlessness I want to encourage you to take some time today and decide what you want to sow in its place. Remember that you have the resources of Heaven at your disposal and that you get to shift atmospheres with the power you carry. Start with focusing on what you’re thankful for and then declare His truth, light and love over this week. What are you sowing this week? I’d love to hear that, and what you’re thankful for, in the comments!

As Christmas is quickly approaching in just a few days, I’m keenly aware that time spent with family over the holidays can be a pain-point for many people. Yet, it’s incumbent upon me to remind us (myself included) that during this holiday season, the most important thing is family. As sons and daughters of the King, it’s our responsibility and honor to create a culture that makes people feel loved, seen, and valued. 

However, this mandate doesn’t come without challenges. If you’ve ever tried to connect with a friend or family member and found yourself consistently bumping up against their defensiveness or anxiety as they scramble to do whatever it takes to make their felt embarrassment go away, it’s likely that they are struggling with a ton of shame.

Humanity was created for connection; not just for the sake of survival, but to thrive as well, and shame can ravage the God-ordained connections that we all desire and need. Yet, I'd propose that the Lord has equipped you with everything you need to cultivate connection and community within those you love this Christmas.

On this Thanksgiving Day, I’d like to suggest that we do exactly that: Offer thanks and perform some giving. And no act is too small or meaningless, whether it’s a phone call, a smile or a simple wave of the hand. All these thoughtful acts can be as appreciated as a frozen turkey, just not as nourishing.

Now everyone has something to be thankful for, no matter who we are. That’s why I love Thanksgiving.

From my family to yours, a hearty and Happy Thanks+Giving.