Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: you’ve found yourself caught in an airport somewhere or stranded in traffic trying to get to Thanksgiving Dinner, feeling anything but thankful. Perhaps in your impatience, you search the radio for some Thanksgiving music to help calm your nerves and put you in the spirit of the day, only to find there is no such thing as Thanksgiving music. Most likely, you’ll stumble into Christmas tunes and ear-catching pop songs, but your search for the Thanksgiving spirit only seems to elude you the more you search for it.
Why is this? While many a more intelligent person than I have debated when it’s officially too early to listen to Christmas music, why does it seem as though Thanksgiving is the one holiday where its whole focus – a spirit of gratitude and thankfulness – is nearly impossible to find? The busyness of life erodes our patience, and the pressure to find the best Christmas gifts and get our decorations out in time turns our eyes further to the horizon instead of focusing on the present. And yet, we never seem to notice the effects on us until it’s too late, do we?
Returning to this hypothetical situation, where I’m sure many of us can find familiarity within our own Thanksgiving experiences, even greater perils await our efforts to remain thankful. Relatives, ones who we love so dearly and yet who always know just how to aggravate us by accident, fill a house with noise and chaos – and yes, even talk of politics.
Bustling about is your uncle, never aware of his foul breath, and your brother-in-law, who has seemingly never entered a kitchen…that you know of. And then there’s your least favorite sister, who’s always on time, which is already irritating even before she fills the refrigerator with every possible culinary delight, leaving you with no room for the dessert offerings you brought.
As the volume increases and your spirits diminish, the most significant peril is yet to manifest itself.
The oven has been working overtime, heating everything to be warmed and providing a second furnace by accident. The house is loud and hot, and your tired, overwhelmed mind wonders how a holiday could be so far from picturesque. The kitchen counters are now filled with great-smelling bounty, but the mayhem of preparation is about to be replaced by the mayhem of the famished who are assembling in the tight-fitting dining room. Extra chairs have been brought in to accommodate the adults, and the kids' table is set in the living room. The long-awaited words are being voiced, “It’s ready!” and a stampede descends upon the tables as relatives begin the presentations that fill the room with smells and sighs of remembrance and anticipation.
We’ve been there, haven’t we? We’ve been excited, overwhelmed, disappointed, and frustrated. We’ve planned so hard and tried so much to make just one holiday perfect – where the chaos is minimal and the conflict is low and we can enjoy one another – only to get so lost in the details. Sometimes, the chaos can be so great that our families, our food, and even God’s blessings don’t seem like that much to be grateful for when all we wanted in the morning was to reflect and give thanks.
Where did it all go wrong?
Yet, just as your uncle is about to give thanks, a small voice from the kids' table begins to sing:
“Now thank we all our God,
With heart and hands and voices,
Who Wondrous things hath done,
In whom this world rejoices;
Who, from our mothers’ arms,
Hath blessed us on our way
With countless gifts of love,
And still is ours today.”
Then your uncle – loud, unhygienic and opinionated as he may be – begins to sing along in a beautiful baritone voice that you never knew existed, encouraging your family to join in:
“O may this bounteous God
Through all our lives, be near us,
With ever joyful hearts
And blessed peace to cheer us;
And keep us in His grace,
And guide us when perplexed;
And free us from all ills
In this world and the next.”
The room is silent, except for some soft sobbing, and you suddenly realize the tears belong to you. The piercing perils of the Spirit of the Lord, despite all the busyness and crowding of every other priority, have made their way into your hurried heart. In this moment, you are once again filled with love for all who are gathered, and you realize that you wouldn’t trade it for anything else in the world.
Unfortunately, perhaps this part of the story is less relatable to us, but what if it wasn’t? The secret to turning this hypothetical scenario into a reality lies in keeping sight of the truth of Thanksgiving, that God has provided bountifully in our lives and is worthy of receiving our thanks for everything we have. Yet, in a flawed society focused on busyness and commercialism, Thanksgiving can so often become a ”sandwich” between other holidays. The chaos of gathering with dearly loved yet imperfect relatives can sometimes eclipse our gratefulness.
But if we are to remain thankful and overcome the perils of Thanksgiving, it starts with putting God first. Rejoicing in Him and His blessings – even the blessings of a chaotic family willing to sacrifice their own peace to help you navigate your chaos – starts to reframe the holiday in the right way. What wonderous things He has done, truly, in each of our lives if we would only take the time to search our hearts and pasts to see.
All it takes to start changing the perspective is one small voice willing to sing out, “now thank we all our God, with heart and hands and voices.” In the midst of the chaos this Thanksgiving, perhaps you can fix your eyes on Him to be that voice for your loved ones.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Deagreez
