When More Than the Turkey was Dry

Thanksgiving was fantastic. The days leading up to it, however, were terrible. I was drained, weary, dry, and just done.

The holidays are rapidly approaching and so are the vast number of activities that accompany it. All of them are good and fun, but all of them require something from me: time, attention, energy, and/ or money, and by the week before Thanksgiving, I had nothing left to give. Nothing. Nada. Zip. I was spiritually, emotionally, physically impoverished. Then, God drops this gem in my lap:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. -Matthew 5:3 (ESV)

I've never identified with the poor in spirit. Not sure who I identified with, but it wasn't them. That week, however, I was a card carrying member of broke spirit club. With pockets turned out and shoulders slumped, I sat before the throne. Jesus reminded me that only when I lack something, does He have an opportunity to give and He's never a cheapskate. 

Matthew records that the poor in spirit receive the kingdom. THE KINGDOM. Not an acre or a mile, but the whole shebang. They get the good stuff because they have the space to receive it. When all of the junk that occupies us and, seemingly keeps us going, drains away are we in a position to receive the abundance that He wants to give us to live a full life.

This doesn't mean that a check for a million dollars showed up in my mailbox or that the oatmeal cookies and corn for the Thanksgiving feast cooked themselves or even that schedule for the week magically thinned out, but the source of my strength to face all those things was reestablished. 

Bit by bit, my emaciated spirit came back to life and by that Thursday night I was feeling restored. (The brownie sundae I ate helped, but I'm pretty sure it was mostly Jesus.)

Lean in to Jesus during this season when the world around you demands so much. He never tires or sleeps and desperately wants to give you what you need to live your life more abundantly than you could ever imagine.