This week has to be one of my favorite weeks of the year. I’m not normally excited for Mondays but it’s so different this week because I know Thanksgiving is coming and we will be celebrating with lots of family and friends. So, in the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’m going to call this week The Teacher’s Wife Week of Thanks and all my posts will be related to Thanksgiving. {Genius, I know!}
Last week was one of those teachable moments for me {this time I was the student}. You see, we brought a canned good to contribute to the food drive at Savannah’s preschool. She was a little quiet as she carried in her can, but had a small little grin on her face as she placed it in the box. She wasn’t overly excited but seemed pleased with herself, nonetheless.
Her grin changed though, the moment it came time to turn around and head to her classroom without the can in her hand. She wanted to pick the can up out of the box and take it back!
I was a little taken aback because her attitude changed in an instant and it took a little coercion to convince her to leave the can in the box where she had placed it. In that moment, it hit me though.
The concept of giving has to be taught.
I’ve known this in my head but it was real-life example and I was a little shocked. When left to themselves, children will often choose themselves over others. {I’m not sure why this particular instance surprised me because we’ve been working on sharing for quite some time.}
Isn’t it the same for us adults too though?
Without the work of the Holy Spirit in my life, I would rarely choose others over myself.
As the week progressed and I continued to digest the whole encounter, I started thinking more about the who concept of giving and where it all begins. This might sound so simple to some of you, but it was like the Lord just reminded me of a simple truth.
Doesn’t giving first begin with THANKSgiving?
If we aren’t first able to recognize the way we have been blessed, will we ever be able to be lifelong givers? And the cool thing is that it has nothing to do with actual money. It’s all about our hearts.
At this moment, I don’t recall who determined that Thanksgiving would come before the celebration of the Christmas season but I believe that whoever it was, was onto something.
It’s not until we acknowledge the blessings in our own life that we are truly able to enter into the season of giving {although Christmas is ultimately about us receiving the best gift of all in the person of Jesus…it’s all ironic really} with a right mindset.
So as we celebrate this Thanksgiving week, let’s continue to give thanks for all that we have been given so that we may then begin this Christmas season ready to bless others.
