I shared this story on another loop and realized that it's something cool I should also share with my friends and readers. So if you saw this post, indulge me and read on...
My best Thanksgiving memory was when I was 8 or 9 years old. I didn't grow up in a Christian home, but I had lots of friends who always took me to church. Somehow I got it in my head that because it's a holiday, it must somehow be about God. Because after all, aren't all holidays about God? Well, I went round and round with my very not Christian family. Finally, I said I'd prove it to them. I got out my aunt's old dusty King James version Bible (and if you've ever read it, you know how hard it is for an 8 or 9 year old) and I searched and searched for a verse about Thanksgiving.
I found Psalm 100:
1Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.
2Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing.
3Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
4Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
5For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
As you can clearly see, it says THANKSGIVING right there... and for me, proof that Thanksgiving was a Jesus holiday. From that year on, so long as I'm at the Thanksgiving table, my family gets to hear me pray and recite whatever verses I happen to think appropriate, because yes, friends, Thanksgiving is all about God. :)
To this day, that is my favorite Psalm. And I only seem to be able to enjoy it in the King James Version.
But there's another important lesson in this story. What you invest in a person can have way more impact than you ever dreamed possible. I was just a kid who went to church with anyone who invited me. For whatever reason, God put it on my heart that I needed to know Him. Let's be clear: I went to more than a couple of messed up churches. But you know what? I still sought God. And I still remember things I learned back then. Don't be afraid to plant seeds. I will never forget Psalm 100. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.
2 comments:
Amen!
Thank you SO MUCH for sharing that, Danica. I'm so going to print up that verse or c&p it and send it to all the members of my family who are balking about Thanksgiving this year. And if it's alright with you, I might include your story, too.
Of course you can share it. I don't think God gives us these gems to keep to ourselves.
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