Published 8/29/19
By Greg Johnson
What If...
It’s the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. You’re walking home from school thinking, Four days of freedom! Four days to eat turkey, watch TV, do stuff with friends, sleep in, stay up a little later. Yes!
When you get home, you toss your backpack into your room and head into the kitchen for a snack. Mom is already getting food together for Thanksgiving Day. It’s cold outside, but the house is warm. Dad will be home soon and, since he’s also got four days off, you know he’ll be in a good mood—plus, Mom says he’s bringing home pizza so she doesn’t have to cook. No school, time off, warm house . . . and PIZZA!! It just doesn’t get any better than this!
After pizza, out comes the Monopoly game. You haven’t played in months, and Dad’s acting like he can beat everyone. Just as you sit down to start the game, the phone rings. Surprisingly, it’s for you. Your best friend from church is calling.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Just getting ready to play Monopoly,” you reply. “How about you?”
“Well, my family and I are doing something really different for Thanksgiving this year and I wanted to see if you could come with us.”
“I don’t know, Mom’s got everything all planned out. What are you doing?”
“We’re getting up early tomorrow and going down to the mission to help serve homeless people their Thanksgiving meal.”
“You’re joking,” you say. “Why?”
“Well, Dad arranged it. He said we needed to do something more meaningful this year. I can’t believe we’re not staying home to eat and goof off. But I’m actually looking forward to it, and I wanted to know, well, if you want to go with me for the day. I think it’s going to be kinda fun.”
You’re stuck. You don’t know what to say. All week you’ve been looking forward to just hanging out with your family. Instead of answering no, you say, “I doubt my folks will let me, but let me ask and call you back.”
Questions to Think On
• If we say, “It’s up to you,” what would be your first response?
• Is there any way doing this could be fun?
• Is there any way this could be a bad experience?
• What would you do?
• Mom and Dad: If your child asked to help serve others on Thanksgiving Day, what would you say?
What Does God Have to Say?
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must e your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. Matthew 20:26-28
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
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