You Have Permission....to be Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving! I’m so thankful for you! I can't overstate how much my social media family means to me. I am so grateful that you read my blogs. I know that God gave me this platform to celebrate Him and all that knowing Him affords: peace, comfort, joy, zest for life, faith, hope, and untold blessings. I'm glad we're a part of God's great, big family. And, now for what my heart is leading me to say……

I love this day so much -- the fall weather, the yummy food, warm smells coming from the kitchen and the house bustling with my people. Still, I can’t ignore the quiet rumblings of hearts on days like today. Maybe that’s you. You may feel overwhelmed. Or forgotten. You may feel out of place. You may feel stressed and frustrated. You may feel disappointed or anxious with worry. Or just incredibly lonely.

In a world filled with social media posts with “perfect families” as the featured photo, it can feel like an empty place for hurting hearts. But, let's not go there. Let's flip that nagging heart around, because of Who we are and Whose we are! Today is about giving thanks. It is a day for us to give thanks for the things that really matter: the inner peace that settles us when we are afraid. The inner calm that rises above obstacles and calls us to be brave. The inner voice that steadies us when the world crashes around us. We give thanks for the countless blessings we receive in spite of the odds against us. We give thanks for a Creator who sees us, knows us and accepts us just as we are – even when we feel lost on days like today.

That is the beauty of today. I hope you are at a table with those you are proud to call your own. But, if you find yourself at a table that isn’t a “comfort zone” – embrace the opportunity that you are there – making a difference because you are loved by God and you get to be His representative at that table. Smile and breathe. Connect with that inner voice of God that says “You are enough! You are so very loved. You are beautiful. You are worthy. You are brave!” Remind yourself of the ONE Who is right there with you and Who makes your family of plenty or your family of one, so very loved.

You have permission to be exactly who you are and to be reminded that that is enough. Allow the servant part of you to open your arms and serve. Hmmm! I wonder who that sounds like – it was Jesus Who sat in a room of lovers and haters, some deniers, some rejecters. Serving doesn’t feel like a burden at all – instead it’s something we naturally long to do, where the act of giving becomes a natural expression of our heart.

Whatever your table looks like, I promise there is no obligation greater than the one you have to yourself: to be sure you realize how loved you are. You are worthy of being seen and known. You are worthy of being fought for. Be thankful you are loved by the One Who loves you most. I love you and I pray this is a Thanksgiving in your heart and soul – like none ever before.

Is Jesus an Invited Guest at Your Table?

This day after Thanksgiving comes with relaxation for those that poured their hearts and souls into their grand Thanksgiving feast day – preparing for days, baking, cooking, cleaning up – with the best part that makes it all worth it, being so thankful to serve and embrace family time together. We had a special invited guest that joined our Frisco crew, a beautiful single mom that admitted she would be alone on Thanksgiving. Well, we weren’t about to let that happen, so this precious woman joined us. We held to our annual tradition as each one at the table shared what they were thankful for and I could almost see Jesus sitting with us at the table. Scripture says in Psalm 22:3 “God inhabits the praises of His people!” When we are thanking and praising our Lord, He takes a seat at the table with us.

The big day is past now, but I’m still basking in the joys of yesterday. Though Christmas is already in full swing with the hustle and bustle that Black Friday holds for so many, Black Friday will be glorious Friday for me as my Austin family will arrive (after having been with Shawntel’s family in Muldrow, OK) and we’ll have our “Good” Friday Thanksgiving together today. We’ll have more opportunities to give thanks and praises and welcome our Lord Jesus to the table with us.

Yesterday, my scripture reading was about Jesus weeping over Jerusalem because the people were missing Him so much. (Luke 19:41-42). He, their greatest gift, had been with them every day, talking with them, feeding them, teaching them, loving them. And they missed Him. They missed Him because He didn’t seem like anything or anyone special. He looked and talked like them. They didn’t fully understand (or agree with) what He said. Many knew Him from childhood. They knew who His parents were, where He grew up, and what He did for a living. Nothing special. Nothing impressive. Our Lord was among them and they didn’t notice Him.

And here’s a very important matter to consider: because every human person is created in the image and likeness of God, our Lord visits us in every human person we encounter. Every. Single. Person. Did you miss Him at your dinner table yesterday? You know, the one who served and waited on you after working for days on a meal that is consumed in a matter of minutes? Or did you miss Him in the one who sat at the table and might have been concerned and worried and couldn’t really get into the Thanksgiving conversation? Did you, by chance, get past “passing the sweet potatoes” to take a moment to put your arm around them because you saw Jesus in them. Oh, pray tell, you noticed Him. “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.” Matthew 25:35

The closer we get to Jesus, the more we’ll recognize Him in both strangers and those who eat at the table with us. The more of Jesus in us actually makes us more aware of His presence in other people. If we truly deeply care about others, as Jesus cared about others, we’ll pattern our lives after Him and He will help us see Him in others and respond to their existence with profound thankfulness (even those who are hardest to love).

Plenty of Room at the Table -- We Have Leaves!

Ever wonder why the extensions on a table are called "leaves"?
I wondered that last week when my sis and I were selling three tables with leaves at our estate sale. We wondered "Why do they call them 'leaves'?

My word for today is "leaves" -- and I had to do some searching to find the origin. My conclusion is because originally, the first "leaved" tables had a hinged section on the end or ends that could hang down (pictured here), and it's similar to a leaf of a book (pages have been called leaves for a very long time) and because, with a tree, leaves are considered the middle section. When they started putting detachable expansion sections in the middle of tables, they still called them leaves. So there you go, now you and I both know. You're welcome.

I remember as a young child, my mom adding the leaves to the table to accommodate my big brother and his growing family and my sister and her family. And around that table, was laughter, celebration and conversation. I remember at that table, when I was about 8 years old that I called my brother a "queer" (a word that I had heard often at school) and he corrected me and said to never call anyone a "queer" again. Funny, how some things come back to our memory. What I remember most, was that there was always room at that table for friends and family.

Then I was a mom and grandmother and I remember adding the leaves to my table and the piano bench and fold up chairs for additional guests at our table and for Bible studies, and then as a single, in my small home, I still make sure to have my leaves ready to add for my family and small groups.

I wonder if we are making enough space at our tables these days. What’s more, I wonder if we are making enough space for others in other areas of our lives: our churches, our small groups, our circle of friends. I wonder if we are always making room for more or simply saying, "us four and no more".

How good does it make us feel when we come in late and the table is full -- yet, someone says "Oh, come and join us. We can squeeze in another chair. There's always room for one more!"

What would happen if we had that kind of crazy open table obedience all the time? To seek out those who look, act, and think differently than we do. To implore those who are anything but fine and to care for them with the hands and feet of Jesus.

What if we continued to make space at the table? That is one table where I need to be at. The one that keeps growing and including, adding leaves and mismatched chairs. I want to be the one who scoots over and then scoots over again to make room. I want to be at the table that is in the main business of making space.

We are the body of Christ — made up of all our different, broken, and mended parts. Not only do we need each other, we are made far better by being together. And when we make space for one another, we may just find a lot more room for God Himself to join us at THE TABLE!

Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary

Tuesday of Holy Week -- Jesus most certainly set the record straight about God's house being a place of prayer and holiness. When He saw the money changers and merchants selling their wares, He turned over their tables and cleared them out, exclaiming, "God's house shall be a place of prayer!" Matthew 21:13

Bringing that home to my life, I look within at the "tables" in my life -- those things that would distract me from being that pure and holy sanctuary for His presence. So I pray "Lord, clear out my heart. Do what you will, even to the point of 'over-turning' any tables that may distract me from You. May my heart's song, and my life be a sanctuary for you:
"Lord, prepare me to be a sanctuary;
Pure and holy, tried and true;
With thanksgiving, I'll be a living;
Sanctuary for You."