Every year I share this post in November. I wrote it at 15 years of marriage. We are now married for more than 30 years. This tradition is priceless in our family. I pray all of you have one or will make one for your family this year! Happy ...
Every year I share this post in November. I wrote it at 15 years of marriage. We are now married for more than 30 years. This tradition is priceless in our family. I pray all of you have one or will make one for your family this year!
Happy Thanksgiving! Love, Lynn
Tablecloth of Thanks
Many of you know that I am married to an unbeliever. This past March we celebrated 15 years of marriage. Our unequally yoked marriage has had its challenges to say the least. Over the years, however, our ingenious God has maneuvered us through many touchy issues.
Our disparity becomes more apparent during the holidays. Giving thanks to our Lord in November is a treasured time for me. I name my blessings one-by-one in prayer, thanking God for His lavish abundance poured into our lives.
Like most wives living in an unequally yoked marriage, I long for my spouse to understand there is a God. To know He is intricately involved in our lives and everything we have is provision of our creator. I have also learned that forcing God upon my husband is a surefire way to push him away. I am careful to respect my husband and simply trust Jesus to reach him in his perfect timing.
In spite of my husband’s unbelief, I discovered a unique way to draw him into the celebration of thanks, besides through his stomach. He loves turkey.
Four years ago, I threw a new, pristine-white tablecloth across our dinning room table two weeks prior to Thanksgiving. I purchased several colored pens and placed them on top. A new tradition was born, a Tablecloth of Thanks. It began with my daughter. I told her, “I WANT you to write on this tablecloth.” She looked at me with skepticism in her eyes, wondering if her mother had lost her mind.
“Really,” my smiled reassured. “Write down what you are most thankful for this year. Then write the year, 2004, near your name.”
She grinned and began to write using several different colors. I joined in and wrote my thanks directly on the beautiful tablecloth.
Later that evening my husband noticed the scribbles on the tablecloth. I watched as he walked over to read our words. I walked to his side and took his hand. I subtly asked him if he would also write down his thanks. He smiled and said maybe later.
Finally on the evening of Thanksgiving Day, my husband picked up a pen and wrote; I am thankful for my wonderful family, great friends, and a very happy life.
Wow! Was he giving thanks to our Lord? I am not sure. However, every year since he has continued to write a thankful list. Last year’s entry reads; I am thankful for all of my blessings…family, friends, and the dogs.
What? Did he use the word blessings? Small steps such as these lead to the Savior. I can’t wait to read his thankful list this year.
The Thankful Tablecloth is one of my most prized possessions. Everyone who visits our home during the Thanksgiving holiday contributes to this permanent memorial of thanks. It is a visible praise to the King displayed in our unequally yoked home each November.
One of my favorite thanks is this:
2006 I am thankful to be able to sit on the couch and have my people pet me. Peanut
Hmmmm, I wonder how the dog grew fingers and learned to write????
Psalm 69:30 (NIV) I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.
Lord God, I will name my blessings one-by-one….. Jesus… eternal life…. clean water to drink…..capacity to love…..empowerment to forgive….. just for a start…..
It is never too late to start a new tradition. If you want to start your Tablecloth of Thanks, I have a few helpful hints.
Place a sheet of butcher paper under your tablecloth. (I have a permanent smiley face on my dinning room table from the year 2005)
Use colorfast fabric pens.
Store your tablecloth in an airtight Ziploc bag.
Thank you my friends for sharing this Holiday treasure with me. I wish you were with me today and could share your thankful heart on the Tablecloth of Thanks.
Lynn here. I hope you are practicing Thanksgiving and are writing down your Three Thankfuls Every Day. Now, please turn over your paper and write down your prayer requests that you are binging before the Lord in this season. Write the date next to them.
Continue to write your Three Thankfuls daily. We are going to use this later.
Today, I want to encourage you. I know it can be difficult to walk out our faith especially when you are deeply disappointed. Disappointed that you don’t see change. Angry about your life circumstances. Sad that what you expected in marriage isn’t what you are living.
I do understand feeling brokenhearted. I truly have lived it out.
Let me mention a couple of things. Last week in prayer, when my husband was once again in the hospital with pneumonia, I sat at home overwhelmed with it all. The responsibility, the fear, dare I say the anger. And in that moment a single thought came into my conscious.
I thought to myself: I have served this one man all of my life! Hump!
The thought conveyed a since of loss, unfulfillment, anger…. Then resentment raised its head for a split second.
THEN, the Holy Spirit rushed in. I thought, I have served this one man all of my life! What a glorious realization that I’d given so much of myself to love this single, solitary soul. And then Jesus spoke to my heart, I would have died for you alone, Lynn. Is it too much to ask that you lived for one soul?
Gulp!
This is what was happening in the spiritual realm. I was exhausted physically, emotionally upset and feeling overwhelmed. That is when the tiny door opens, and an evil thought comes to mind. The single thought was intended to lead me down the path of resentment. That path travels like this. It’s always Him first. It’s always serve him. He doesn’t help me. He doesn’t ….. blah, blah, blah. This path travels very fast and you find yourself in the black camp of bitterness. The demonic will quickly slap on chains and you may remain there for years.
But in that moment, I was able to shut down the resentment and view any perceived sacrifices I made from the perspective of the Cross. The Cross will always realign entitlement, pride, and our pain.
Jesus can love you enough to serve and love others outside of what you think possible. Also, a good nights rest helps. grin.
Mike is still in the hospital as I write this but he is alive. I’m so thankful this Thanksgiving Season for life. AND the abundant life in Christ Jesus.
I’m not minimizing your pain and disappointment because I know it is real. I merely offer a moment to look at life’s circumstances from a Kingdom point of view. If you need help to overcome your pain and you need to hear from Jesus, please submit a prayer request. Or schedule a prayer appointment with me.
I love and bless you today with joy and hope. In Jesus name. AMEN
Jesus says: I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. – John 16:33
Read the entire chapter, it is very encouraging. Blessings and hugs, Lynn
Hello everyone, Ian from sunny Sydney. As Ann mentioned in her post the other day, it’s been a little while since some of us have written a post. And once again, Lynn, thank you for all the heavy lifting in setting us up on the new platform and transferring everything across. An incredible effort.
It’s been 3 months since my last post, and as some of you will know, I had a serious run in with pneumonia that had me in the ICU for 11 days. Fortunately, for me I was in an induced coma during the worst of it and have no recollection of what happened for 5 days. Fiona was the first face I saw on waking, and she explained what had been going on while I had been knocked out.
I am particularly grateful for the wonderful care I received from the medical team and the many prayers from around the world. I’ve sensed God’s closeness throughout this season of illness and recovery and am so grateful that I can write about the experience.
God really is so so good, and I’m continually amazed at His tenderness and kindness. As a result, praise is often on my lips. Praising God softens our hearts and enables us to enter a conversation with God. I’ve always loved David’s words in Psalm 63 – this is The Message version:
So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open, drinking in your strength and glory. In your generous love I am really living at last! My lips brim praises like fountains. I bless you every time I take a breath; My arms wave like banners of praise to you. (v 2-4)
We don’t celebrate Thanksgiving in Australia and don’t regard November as a month to be thankful. I love the notion and throughout this month I will continue to be thankful for God’s faithfulness that are constant throughout each day.
What’s stirring your heart this month about God? Why not share it in the comments below and we can enjoy celebrating God together.
Hello SUMites, it’s Ann here and it’s been a while!
While Lynn has been busy setting up this new website, us writers have been taking a break. But now it’s time for us to re-emerge – yay! I’m looking forward to reconnecting again with you.
Last time I wrote I was travelling round Europe with Bryce. Well, we have now returned home to New Zealand.
New Zealand is a gorgeous place, and whenever you land there’s a sense of greenery and freshness. When the aeroplane wheels touch the tarmac, I always breath a deep breath of happiness to be home. So that happened three weeks ago, and we were joyfully reunited with our children, our house, and our cat. The cat had unfortunately forgotten who we were but thankfully the children had not; and that’s the main thing.
I can’t describe how it felt to see my sons again … to see those two handsome boys was the best thing ever.
But that said, the five months away were a rich time. Bryce and I were not working and had 100% of our time together. I now find it strange when he’s in a different room to me.
I have learned what retirement as a married couple might look like: To be in each other’s space all the time is not entirely easy. I found I needed my space more than he did, and sometimes we got a complete overdose of each other after too much time together, LOL. But it was strangely bonding.
And there were precious memories too: For example, we raced around islands in Vietnam and Spain on a scooter with the wind blowing in my hair, my arms wrapped firmly round him, and my cheek resting on his back.
We endured hard things during this time away too, which were ongoing: Throughout our trip, my brother was battling severe depression, and my Mum stage 4 cancer. Sometimes there were tears, and Bryce was my strong friend.
So, in marriage terms, it was a unique time. The photos are now revolving in our photo frame, and we’re looking back.
Finally, while we were away Bryce got offered a job, so he begins that in two weeks. This means we’ll finally be separated again during our days.
But he has not gone yet … For I write as he hangs laundry next to me, in the same room.
SUMites, have you had an extended time when you’ve been in very close proximity to your spouse?
