I love to bake, but I can be known to be a distracted baker. I might be preparing two different dishes and get distracted. I can step out of the kitchen to do something else. Look for the dog. Check my phone. It reminds me of a "distracted baking incident" I had years ago. I had made a pumpkin bar dessert for a women's bible study. It was my first time to try the recipe, but I had tasted the bars before. I knew they'd be good! To my chagrin, once my friends and I had tasted them, I realized something was horribly wrong. I had forgotten the main ingredient-pumpkin. LOL. I am still razzed for that faux pas years later. Just recently, I had made an awesome banana bread, a recipe my husband loves. But, it's honestly not that good without sugar. Lesson learned.
Missing ingredients. What happens when one ingredient is left out of your baking? Usually, each ingredient is there for a purpose. Take for instance, baking a cake. It's really basic chemistry. Your mixing ingredients together and making it react into something delicious. Each ingredient is very important. You can't leave out the eggs or it would bad. You can't leave out the salt or baking power or it would be bad. Get the point? It would end up where my banana bread did. The trash.
In just a few short days, you will probably be celebrating Thanksgiving with friends and family. Thanksgiving, for you, may include a large turkey. A beautifully set table. Relatives coming into town. A traditional morning turkey trot An afternoon Cowboy game. It's wonderful to have such rich traditions at the holidays! But, don't miss the most important ingredient on Thanksgiving!
As President of the United States, George Washington proclaimed the first nationwide Thanksgiving celebration in America marking November 26, 1789, "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and significant favors of Almighty God." Thanksgiving is about being grateful to God and recognizing the many blessings HE has given us. Sometimes, we miss the main ingredient of Thanksgiving.... God!
What can you do to ensure that God is a part of your Thanksgiving this year? Here are a few ideas: Ask someone to say a blessing for the meal. Or, go around the table and share one thing you're thankful for. Maybe read a devotional about Thanksgiving before eating. If you've lost a loved one since last year, share one special memory about your deceased love one. If you're experiencing a difficult Thanksgiving this year, acknowledge it. Deal with the elephant in the room. Perhaps share a scripture from the Bible that gives you hope. Just don't forget God on Thanksgiving!
We experience incredible joy when we choose to be grateful. When we lift our eyes from even crummy circumstances and still give thanks to God... something amazing happens. Our countenance changes. Our attitude changes. And others take note. So, this Thanksgiving, lead the way and make sure you and your loved ones give thanks to the One who deserves our thanks. Don't let God be a missing ingredient on your Thanksgiving Day.
Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain for the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.
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