From the Alexander File
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His faithfulness endures to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-5)
My dad graduated from a Bible institute with a 3-year diploma — the highest degree the school offered at the time. After 10 years in the pastorate, the Lord called him to go back to school to complete his bachelor’s degree in Sacred Music. Most of his credits transfered, so he was left with only about a little over a year’s worth of credits to finish — if, that is, he had gone full-time. However, with a wife and two boys and little-to-no financial assistance, he wasn’t able to go full-time. As a result, he ended up cramming that one year into four. Needless to say, those weren’t easy years, but I look back on them fondly. In many ways, it was the challenges of those years that made them special.
One such occasion was a particular Thanksgiving when I was about 7 or 8 years old. There always seemed to be a little extra month at the end of the money, but we never went hungry. That year, however, things were particularly rough. Mom was going to prepare a meal for that day, but there wouldn’t be any turkey or any of the traditional fixings. We simply couldn’t afford it. I recall being aware that we would not be enjoying standard holiday fare that year, but I don’t remember being bothered so much by it. For my parents, on the other hand, it was a different story. I was just a kid, but I could tell. We had been in similar situations before, but this was different — this was Thanksgiving.
I guess the reality of the situation began to register with me the day before Thanksgiving, because I remember asking what we were going to do. As positively as they could, my parents told me we were still going to celebrate and give thanks to God for His goodness to us, it just wouldn’t be with a turkey. As explained to me that the important part of Thanksgiving was giving thanks, not food, there was a knock at the front door of our mobile home.
When Dad answered it, there was a older couple standing there. I didn’t know who they were, and to this day I don’t remember their names, but Mom and Dad knew them from church. They said they had prepared for a bunch of family to come to their home for the holiday, but at the last minute the relatives had all had to cancel due to sickness or some other kind of emergency. As a result, it was going to be just the two of them, but they had all this extra food — more than they could ever eat themselves. As they were wondering who they could share it with, the Lord put us on their hearts. They had no idea how bare our cupboards were — they just felt very strongly that the Lord wanted them to give their excess food to us.
My brother and I were ecstatic as they made trip after trip from their car with grocery bags. Not only was there a good-sized turkey with the traditional sides, but there were plenty of staple foods as well — more than enough to keep us fed beyond Thanksgiving until Dad got paid again. We thanked our benefactors for their generosity and they left, as we started replenishing the pantry. Unpacking those groceries felt just like Christmas!
We had not finished putting everything away when there was a second knock at the door. This time when Dad answered, there was no one and nothing there — except for a second frozen turkey! Dad quickly looked around, but he saw no one walking away and no car leaving our driveway. We never knew where the second turkey came from, but Dad knew exactly what to do with it. Some neighbors of ours had mentioned that they, too, would be without a turkey that year, so Dad took the extra bird and some of the food we’d just received next door to our friends.
I don’t have a physical memento from that day to put in my Alexander File, but I don’t need one, because that’s an event I’ll never forget. The lesson I learned that day is that God provides not only to meet my needs, but to enable to give to others and with the express intent that I should do so. Giving thanks isn’t complete unless I give out of what He has given me. No matter how great my personal need is, He always gives me enough to give to others..
As you gather with family, friends, and loved ones this year, whether you have a little or a lot, and whether you eat traditional food or not, do pause and give thanks to God for His generous bounty. I know for many of you that is already part of your Thanksgiving traditions. If it’s not, you should make it one, starting this year. But don’t stop there. This year don’t just enumerate what God has given you, talk together about what He wants you to give to others. Don’t just give thanks; give thanks, then give. Because hope — confidence in the goodness of God — was meant to be shared.
