Blessed to be Broken

For those of us in the United States, Thanksgiving is just around the corner.

As I type this, sweet potatoes are roasting in the oven in preparation of sweet potato casserole.

This is the first year, I’m baking them. Typically, I peel them, cube them, and then boil them.

But, I heard it from the folks posting on social media, baking sweet potatoes brings out their best flavor and you can pop them bad boys open with the slice of a knife.

Alrighty then, let’s give it a whirl.

You might not think this is a big deal for me, but, let me assure you, it’s a ginormous deal.

Not only am I not boiling the sweet potatoes, I’m not stuffing, nor brining my turkey. WHAAAAT?

The stuffing will still be homemade, but I’m tossing it the oven.

The turkey? Well, no one even likes dark meat in my family, so I bought me a couple of them turkey breasts, and I’m gonna make them in the crock pot!

Oooooh, I know, I know. I can hear all my ancestors saying in unison, “the horrors”.

This time of year brings out the traditionalist in me. It always made me feel safe in doing things the same way, year after year, after year. You get my drift.

Trying new things especially when a big meal is on the line, is scary. Like, all my innards scrambled up and my skin being the only thing holding me together scary.

But, I feel called out. Like God has something bigger for me in these small steps of walking out tradition and walking in faith that new can be good.

Yes, I’m totally scared that this may be the Thanksgiving that goes down as the worst food on the table ever.

On the flip side however, I’m excited to see how this all works out. Like, it could be the best food on the table ever.

Time will tell.

This is the current season I’m in with Jesus. Trusting in Him over trusting tradition. Walking by faith, and not by sight.

God’s word says His mercies are new EVERY morning. Each day is crafted by Him and presented in ways that might seem familiar, but are totally new.

There’s absolutely nothing wrong with tradition. Like I said, they made me feel safe.

But, what if safe and tradition were becoming idols? Rut-roh Shaggy, that’s not good.

How can you tell? Good question. I can’t speak for anyone else but me, but, if tradition calls me into a people pleasing pit, or if I get angry because I’m not in “control” of how the day is organized, or if I depend on others to fill me up, then, I’ve let people, and circumstances have control over me.

Those things usually result in emotions of sadness, anger, and self-criticism taking root. It may even result in the comparison trap of poor, poor, pitiful me because everybody else’s holiday looked better than mine.

Those traps are nothing more than enemy doing what he does best, and it’s up to us to tell him, his shenanigans are not welcome.

Funny how a holiday about Thanksgiving can turn into something totally opposite.

No matter what humans have dubbed as a holiday, the day is still the day the Lord has made and rejoicing in it, is a choice.

From year to year, nothing has remained the same. Oh sure, we like to think it does, but if you really think about it, no holiday is the same.

That’s the Lord making all things new. That’s Him reminding us that He’s always at work doing things we have no clue about, and He has something good He wants to do in, and through you.

Can you feel it? Can you see sometimes we create our own havoc in gripping to what has been, instead of what He’s trying to pry open?

He has something on the other side of those closed minds, and fists. Question is, do you trust Him?

Ok, let’s wrap this up. I pray you all have a wonderful day filled with love, mistakes that make the best memories, and laughter that makes your stomach and face muscles ache.

Cheers to the new things that make us feel alive!