Traditional Thanksgiving with a side of rest
I got a text at 4 o’clock this afternoon asking if I could bring a couple of things for Thanksgiving lunch — tomorrow.
I panicked.
I pictured myself trapped in a sea of shoppers at the local grocery store and was immediately convinced that they wouldn’t even have what I needed. I’d wind up driving all over town on a fruitless quest — or should I say “pecan pie-less” quest.
The irony was, of course, that I’d spent a big chunk of my day thinking about the topic of rest and how I could introduce it to you.
The first step in the process of unwrapping God’s gift of rest is to Realize when our thoughts are spirialing out of control and Resist the enemy’s attacks that want to rob us of our peace.
*********
The first step in the process of unwrapping God’s gift of rest is to
Realize
when our thoughts are spirialing out of control and
Resist
the enemy’s attacks that want to rob us of our peace.
*********
Gulp.
He certainly aimed this attack perfectly. I needed to perform in an area of weakness (I’m not exactly Betty Crocker over here), and I needed to do it fast. No time to plot things out in my Full Focus Planner to make sure I had everything done on time.
I met my husband in the driveway when he got home, and we grabbed an early dinner and then tackled the grocery store.
And we had the best time! We saw friends and family we haven’t seen for a while, wished neighbors we didn’t know a happy Thanksgiving, and found every little item we needed — and then some.
There was no need for drama. Panic was unnecessary, and my over-achiever self was happy picking up a pre-baked pie. And we came out of the store to see the most extraordinary sunset — something we would have surely missed had we stuck with our stay-in-for-the-evening plan.
So, this Thanksgiving (and every day). I encourage us to embrace the gift of rest even when the unexpected happens or things don’t go according to our plan.
Let’s plan to look for God’s unexpected blessings in our changed circumstances, remembering that He is the One in control.
This Thanksgiving, I’m thankful that God’s mercies are new every morning and that the Holy Spirit can teach us, even when we don’t ace the test on the first try!
What are you thankful for? Share in the comments below or email me at dawn@dawntolbertwrites.com.
Be sure to sign for the email newsletter on our “Get Connected” page to get the latest blog posts and podcast episodes.
