Let's Talk Turkey

Proverbs 16:1 – Mortals make elaborate plans, but God has the last word. (MSG)

Home economists tell us to take great precautions when thawing a large turkey for the holidays. If we are thawing it on the counter, it must be covered in cold water that is repeatedly changed. If we can find room for the thing in the refrigerator, it lingers there for days till all the ice is gone, it's ready to cook, and company is arriving. Hopefully these events will all occur at the same time! Don't count on it.

We have held the family Christmas for many years now. No turkey has ever co-operated. I always have to pry and chip away at the middle to make room for the stuffing.

Determined to succeed this year, I brought Tom Turkey out of the freezer a few days earlier. This fellow melted fast! We are eating him now. The family will be having ham.

No matter how hard some of us try, Christmas never seems to measure up to our expectations. We think that if we had only bought more, baked more, invited more, the holidays would have been more fulfilling. Perhaps we are going at this the wrong way. Perhaps we should be doing less and being more. Perhaps we should be serving ham.

Even believers get caught up in worldly clatter. Does our holiday fall flat because we have left out the reason for the season? Where have we placed Jesus in our list of priorities? What would happen if we put Jesus at the top of the list, and removed countless other items?

Matthew 6:34 – Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. (MSG)

Prayer: O immortal God, forgive us when our emphasis is on the trappings of Christmas, and not on You and Your Son, Jesus. You know all our worldly, overblown plans, and You see them for the foolishness they are. Help us to see that foolishness for ourselves, and to spend our time on what counts eternally. Amen.