Holiday to Fill Your Stomach

In case you didn't recognize, that is what we just celebrated last week. When we told our guard's family it was a holiday, we translated it as holiday of thankfulness. We left to go celebrate with other US citizens. When we got home they asked, “How was the meeting?” Then we realized that they always associate a thanksgiving day with a special Sunday service they call a thanksgiving meeting. Later we told our language teacher it was the Thanksgiving holiday and he knew of it and translated it into his language by calling it “the holiday to fill your stomach.” We see the excesses of this culture as well, but it does put it better in perspective to remember that here Christians celebrate the end of harvest mainly by holding worship services and giving a grateful gift (above and beyond tithe) to God for His blessings. Not just setting aside a day to “fill your stomach”. I do not think our celebration of Thanksgiving is without being thankful. I saw a lot of Thankfulness on social media – thankfulness for friends and family. But I will let those thoughts speak to you as God intends instead of me wondering.

I know personally, Thanksgiving came at a very good time for me, because I was in a frustration rut. I realized that to get out of the rut I needed to be grateful. Just like I tell my children, I sometimes need to change my attitude towards gratefulness instead of sourness. I also need to focus that gratefulness on the Lord and to show my gratefulness with an extra offering – maybe not money, but something hard for me to give.

-- La Maestra