The Year of the Mexican Thanksgiving Menu

Some years ago, my wife's family opted to take a less traditional route for their Thanksgiving Day menu. Instead of the usual turkey and dressing... green bean casserole and candied yams... they opted for a Mexican themed menu. I can't recall whose idea it was, exactly, but I know I was a cheerleader for the change because I typically get to eat turkey twice on Thanksgiving Day... and I prefer Mexican over, pretty much, anything else. Not everyone, however, was a fan of the change, as evidenced by the blessing that was rendered when it came time to break bread... or shall I say... burrito. As we gathered together to clasp hands and give thanks, the eldest member of the family, a great uncle on my wife's mother's side, bestowed a blessing that went something like this...

"Dear Lord, we thank you for this day. We thank you for our family, for your many blessings, and even though we are eating Mexican food... we are grateful for what has been provided."

I could hardly stifle the shaking while trying to contain my laughter and, needless to say, when my mother-in-law now asks what we would like to bring to the family Thanksgiving meal, my response is typically something like... what about nachos? I will never not think about "The Year of the Mexican Thanksgiving Menu" and laugh (probably a little too much) at just how surprised I was at how displeased others were when it came to changing tradition. I like to shake things up while others find comfort when they can count on things remaining the same. Both preferences are a matter of opinion. Neither is right. Neither is wrong. And yet, when it comes to bigger matters of the heart, we let our opinions poke holes and drive wedges in our relationships. That's what I'm really thinking about on this Thanksgiving Day.

I recently did a search for the many places in scripture where I found the word(s) "thanksgiving", or some variation of it and the one that has lingered the longest in my mind is this:

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15

I think about the things that cause tension in our families and when you get to the root of most of our conflict, they are over matters of opinion... beliefs, judgments or ways of thinking about something. Opinions are preferences more than matters of principle. We are often willing to hurt others feelings when we say what we think needs to be said about how we feel about something but if we're willing to risk the relationship at the cost of our opinion... shouldn't it be over something that really matters? Shouldn't we talk about things that are true? Shouldn't we let Him take the lead in the tension that comes from the lives we live that aren't in line with Him? I guess all I'm trying to say on this Thanksgiving Day is...

Life is short and you only get one chance to live it. Please don't let your opinion... your preferences... how you feel about something that isn't of eternal importance, drive a wedge between you and the ones you love. Seek unity and peace where possible (Romans 12:18). Seek to be curious about why you might feel as you do before jumping to judgment when others don't act as you think they should. Basically (I'll repeat what has been on repeat in my mind for the last several weeks now)...

"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15