“Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord your God by failing to keep his commands,
ordinances, and statutes that I am giving you today. When you eat and are full,
and build beautiful houses to live in, and your herds and flocks grow large,
and your silver and gold multiply, and everything else you have increases,
be careful that your heart doesn’t become proud and you forget the Lord your God
who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the place of slavery.
Deuteronomy 8:11-14
The Reason We Need Thanksgiving
It’s almost Christmas, Mommy!
Well, it’s almost Thanksgiving.
No! Christmas! Christmas is next! It’s almost Christmas!
My three-year-old started preschool this fall, along with a Tuesday-night dance class, and Wednesday-night church. As we’ve settled into a fall routine, and she’s also begun learning the days of the week, she’s become more and more determined to get a handle on our family’s calendar. Nearly every night involves her asking, “Where am I going tomorrow?” “How many days is that?” or “Today is Tuesday, so is tomorrow Friday?”
When you combine all that with our society’s obsession with Christmas countdowns, it’s no surprise that my little preschooler is adamant that Christmas is right around the corner. After all, we’re talking about Jesus and Santa, she’s seeing colorful lights on houses, and some people even have Christmas trees up.
Surely it’s almost Christmas!?
Christmas is coming, certainly, but first, Thanksgiving.
Sometimes it seems like we use the word, “holidays,” as a synonym for Christmas — skipping right over our national day of thanks (or giving it the smallest nod as opening day for the Christmas season). But that’s not the way our calendar is designed — or how God has commanded us to live.
Just like He knew the Israelites would be quick to take credit for their abundance and forget how God had rescued them from slavery and themselves, God knew we would do the same. He knows how tempting it is to dive headfirst into the holidays with our focus on Jesus and all the ways we celebrate His birth. He knows how hard it is to resist the countdowns and the checklists, how proud we are of ourselves when we finish our shopping, get the tree up early, master the new recipe, remember the concerts and parties and donations and services.
He knew what we’d do to Christmas, and He knew that we’d need Thanksgiving.
Be careful that you don’t forget the Lord your God…
I’m grateful for our calendar’s reminder to pause, to remember, to give thanks. I love our tradition of gathering, sharing a meal — and how God has blessed us, taking time to acknowledge that everything we have is from Him. And I don’t want to forget this.
So, every time my little girl gets her days and weeks and holidays mixed up, I remind myself along with her: Yes, Christmas is coming, but first, Thanksgiving.
What are you thankful for today?
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