It started as a simple conversation with a group of my son’s friends after a football game. They were joking about having a “Thanksgiving” off-campus lunch in November instead of the typical Chick-Fil-A or Chipotle. Offhandedly I said, “If you come to my house, I will make you Thanksgiving.”
And before I knew it I was at the store buying a turkey and all the trimmings.
It was still weeks before Thanksgiving. And the middle of the day. And less than 45 minutes. And who knew how many High School Seniors. And might I add, a lot of work. On paper it didn’t add up.
But I decided it was worth it.
Because they wanted to come. And because I could.
Thanksgiving Lunch @ The Beckman’s
When the frenzy of feeding 9 hungry teenagers in roughly 33.3 minutes had passed and they were headed back to school, I began to clear away the Thanksgiving-sized mess left behind. As I faced the mound of dishes in the now quiet kitchen, I began to wonder why my heart felt so full?
Because in those few stolen minutes on a weekday in November those 17-year-olds gracing my table taught me a thing or two.
When we use our gifts, it blesses people.
I love hospitality. I love decorating my table, having people over, cooking, entertaining and having my house filled with people. And I realize God has gifted me in these ways. (And not all of us have the same gifts, I know.) But they aren’t gifts if we don’t give them away. And when we do it blesses people – because we are good at it.
I’m not boasting about me – I’m bragging about God bestowing gifts upon us. He gives us good gifts so that we will share them with the world around us, and not keep them to ourselves. And for me, when I can use what he’s entrusted, it’s like no other feeling in the world. I just LOVE it. And so do the people that receive the gifts. And so does God, by the way. (see Matthew 25)
When we express our appreciation, it blesses people.
The potatoes were mashed, cranberries cooked, gravy simmering, turkey roasted, rolls and stuffing warming in the oven, when the storm of teens erupted into the kitchen. I took the lid off the roasting pan to carve the turkey. And that’s when it happened.
They began to applaud!
I don’t know about you, but it’s a rare (if ever) occasion when my weeknight meals receive actual applause.
But these kids were genuinely, effusively, appreciative! One after the next, they praised, they oohed and ahhed, they complemented. And they thanked me over and over and over again. Who wouldn’t love that?!
When we are affirmed and appreciated, it is a huge blessing. And it makes us want to use our gifts again and again.
I didn’t bless those kids that day; they blessed me.
When we are intentional with our time, it blesses people.
When my 3 teens are in school, many things compete for my time, and those hours are precious to me. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get the to-do list completed or get fully caught up on the many work and home commitments before me. And we all know, it’s not a speedy task to prepare a full Thanksgiving meal.
But I knew God wanted me to make time on that day, for those kids, for His purpose. And it’s a privilege to have the opportunity as a work-at-home, stay-at-home mom to do so. (I know not everyone does!)
I might never know if He had a deeper purpose in that lunch, but I do know that being a teenager is hard. And kids these days face a lot of pressure. And we’ve no idea what might be going on in their lives, at school or at home. Or what’s weighing them down.
So that’s why my joy was beyond measure, knowing I could make a bright spot in their day. And as someone who has benefited from others sharing time and efforts, I get how meaningful it can be.
And when God asks, no matter how much it “costs”, I want to do my best to be someone who says, “Yes.”
How could you use your gifts to bless someone this week? Or appreciate someone else’s gift to you?