Matthew 11:28 "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
What a wonderful Thanksgiving, Lord. I thank You for Your sweet peace and restful nature with me today. Family is what days like this all all about. I was not with my family, but You, Lord supplied me with a wonderful friend's family to share Your abundance with. I was thinking of all those who are far from family and perhaps was not blessed as I was.
I remember Thanksgiving dinner when I was a child. All of us lived near, within 15 miles or so and would gather at Grandmother's house. All the cousins were there, about 13 of us when our aunt had her first family children there. As I was saying grace today, thank you dear friend, for inviting me to do so. I so love thanking my Father for His blessings, His provision. I was honored by this. Thank you so much. I remembered my cousin, the youngest boy, would somehow always get to say grace. I guess it was because he wanted to so badly and of course, I was too shy. Yes, I was very shy. But he would say grace for what seemed to be forever, thanking the Lord for each dish on the table, down to the butter. Yes, I do laugh about it, as now I can see his intent was to be truly thankful for the Lord's blessings, but we were so hungry......Yes, Father, I can see You smiling at this memory also. His looking up and down the table to make sure he had not forgotten anything as the rest of us were praying he was finished so we could eat. How funny it was. But we knew it would be every holiday meal, it was a tradition.
As I was washing dishes today after dinner, amidst the objections of Char, I was remembering another tradition. Grandmother and I doing dishes together. I would wash and she would dry. Remember the time I kept washing the same bowl, and washed it so many times before I realized she was drying it and putting it back on the dirty dish side. We were so busy visiting as we did our work I never noticed until the fourth or fifth time. How we laughed and laughed. What a wonderful memory, it was tradition.
I don't remember when football entered the picture for Thanksgiving afternoon, but it kind of took the place of other traditions, marking itself as a tradition. We use to play games, play football outside, or just sat around and visited, catching up with family on what was happening. Resting, many catching catnaps, waking up to coffee and pie. Restful, beautiful afternoons. Then the dividing up of the leftovers and everyone going home, full, content, anxiously thinking about the next holiday to be together.
So many things that were common place, that held such joy. Sunday afternoons were a time for driving over to visit family or friends. Having coffee, laughing about the good old days. No one seems to have time for this anymore. Traditions are being lost and it seems like not too many are noticing. Of course, so many of us live further apart, but even before that time came, we just seem to be too tired to do the things we use to. Lord, what is to be done with us, Your children? Is it too late to regain those traditions that are so important to what family is, what You wanted for us? Is it too late to begin to put our lives back in the path You had made for us?
You, my Lord, my God made us into families. You gave us friends. You gave us Your Son to redeem us from all our sin, all our shame. So often, families, friends, and yes, Your Son, are put to the side as the world sucks us onto its roller coaster ride. But that is a choice, I see, to ride or to get off and just let You give us Your rest. To live in the world as You have planned for us, not for what the world sets as priorities, but Your priorities Father. You, our Lord, family, friends. Opening ourselves up for relationship with You first and then with those that You place in our lives.
I love the old traditions, Lord. Even so many that are not attainable now, the ones You have for me are. I place You first, Lord. That will never change. Thank You, Holy Spirit, for drawing my attention to my Lord God in a continual pattern that holds me captive to Him. Thank You for making my family, even though I am apart from them, thank You for drawing them close to my heart, in my prayers, in my thoughts. And my friends, Lord, I thank You for giving me good friends that love You as I do, and that understand how much I love You and appreciate that love. It is nice to have friends I can talk about You to, sharing Your love and blessings with.
Father, put the love for traditions of faith, family and friends in the hearts of Your children. Let the younger generation be taught the pure love and enjoyment of being with family, their own and the family of God. Give us all a desire to seek You and enjoy the time You will set aside for us to have traditions like today, Thanksgiving. Let us give You control over our time as You will see that time is set aside for Your traditions.
My God, I thank You for the freedom to worship and praise You. A tradition set in the hearts of those children that love You so much, worshiping and praising You with all their hearts. This, my God, will never vanish from my heart. The scripture, "Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest", Father, this scripture gives me peace knowing that I can come to You when my days are so hectic, and You will take all the burdens of the day and give me peace, give me rest in You. This is the time that all should look to You, Lord, for Your rest, Your peace. The world cannot hold us from you, only our own selves can do that. I come to You, my God, I come to You seeking Your rest, Your beautiful rest. You give and give to me peace, sweet peace. Like a river it flows over my soul, drawing me into Your arms to rest in You. Thank You, Lord.
Traditions, let's hold on to as many as we can......Our Lord God, never let go of Who He is, and What He does for each of us everyday. He gives rest, He gives peace, He alone gives life. My wonderful, wonderful, Lord God, my life is in You. I bless Your Holy Name.
11-24-11
Amen, my friend amen! I like this great post, keep on keeping on!
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