It’s hard not being with your family on Thanksgiving – especially when there’s a new addition (baby Audrey). You think about what you’d be doing all day; either watching the Macy’s Day Parade or helping Mom cook sweet potatoes. You’d be laughing with your brother or losing terribly in basketball. You’d be snuggling with Ruby (dog) on the couch and sneaking pieces of turkey for her. But that wasn’t God’s plan for me this year. This year, my Thanksgiving will consist of pruning vines and eating Snicker’s Bars with new friends.
My team and I are serving somewhere in Nicaragua (I really don’t know anymore). We’re living/working on a farm, and our job is to prune vines. Thousands of vines. I’m never seen so many; it reminds me of the movie, Jumanji. I don’t know the name of the fruit we’re saving, but its insides slightly resemble snot. (It tastes good, I promise!) So from 8-12pm we prune, and then from 1-4ish we prune. I love to prune. Pruning is great fun. Prune, prune, prune. These are all lies. But we try to prune with a great big smile, I assure you.
So then, as we prune on Thanksgiving Day, it hits me. What is Thanksgiving really all about? Commercialism?? Football? Or being openly grateful and appreciative to what God was placed in your life? I think the latter. Well sure, I’d rather be sitting on the couch watching a parade with pumpkin pie than pruning weird, bug infested vines. But that’s not what God has in store for me. So then it is my job to understand God’s reasoning for my current situation. It is my job to pray into it and be patient for His answer. The scripture tells us that “we know in all good things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God wants to guide us, comfort us and renew our affections for Him. Look at Hosea 2, “Therefore I am going to allure her; I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her. There I will give her back her vineyards, and will make the Valley of Anchor (her troubles) a door of hope.” I want God to turn my troubles into hope! And this is exactly God’s intention for us, and for me. So when I’m out in the middle of nowhere pruning, my prayer is for God to speak tenderly to me and renew my affections for him!
