For Thanksgiving: Not a food post

Based on my previous track record and well, the title of my blog, one might think I live, eat (no pun intended), and breathe for food.   While food is the primary way I feel drawn to express creativity, writing is another big part of my personal creativity. For me, food is social and fun; and implies community. It’s most pleasurable aspect is sharing it with others.  It brings people together. Writing, on the other hand, has always been more of a private endeavor.  I’ve kept a diary since 2^nd grade (although now I prefer the more sophisticated term “journal”). Blogging kind of joins the two!  Sometimes, I think it would be nice to share more of my private world- if only for entertainment, encouragement, or in attempt to bridge the big ocean that divides me from many of the ones I love!

This week I was thinking about Thanksgiving- a day dedicated to celebrating the many reasons we have to be grateful. The nature of the holiday has led to a focus on the gifts or blessings we have in our lives.  And don’t get me wrong, one of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is going around the dinner table and everyone stating something they are thankful for. But for every gift there is a giver, right? As a Christian, I try to make a regular practice of thanking God for his many blessings, because I believe He is the Giver of all good things. And if there are things I want or ask for which I don’t have, then it must be because God, in his perfect and all-knowing character has deemed them not good for me; or at least not good right now. And I'm thankful for that too!

I was reflecting on my own tendency to forget about the Giver and decided I want that to be my focus this Thanksgiving: being thankful to the Lord for who He is, and not only for what He has given me (and He has given me much). I am thankful that some of the greatest gifts He gives are the intangible things; bound up in His promises to give us joy and peace through Christ. This poem is a product of these thoughts and reflections; and a personal call to myself and others to seek the Giver and not the gifts.  

No Good Thing Withheld

Psalm 84:11

“No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly”

The Lord eagerly bestows good things

Upon the children of His vine

For all that He has given Christ

Is also now forever mine

We search too often His giving hand

Yet so seldom seek His face

If we rather sought our Father’s heart

We’d find unending stores of grace

His blessings not bound in fingers clenched

In hands reluctant to release,

But his riches rest in open palms

Offering gifts of joy and peace

James 1:17
"Every good and perfect gift is from above."