What Can Happen When We Give

W

 It is said that it is better to give than it is to receive. In fact it is what Acts 20:35 tells us:  In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

But what if we have little to give, because of our own needs? For some families, a thanksgiving meal may come as too high a price for those that cannot afford to give it away to someone else And yet, God promises that when we give, he will give back to us.

The following story tells of a surprised mother that found out that by giving a turkey away to someone that would have otherwise had none for their own Thanksgiving, that another turkey would be given to her to replace the one she had intended for her own Christmas meal. 

Who was this donor how did they get it past her without her seeing it? Was it someone she knew, someone she did not know, or was it a supranational gift left by the hand of God.

Here is her story.

(You can find this and other stories about faith and God's goodness at: 3 Classic Mysterious Ways Stories For Your Thanksgiving Holiday)

Three Classic Thanksgiving Mysterious Ways

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hope you receive some blessings this holiday, like these three Guideposts readers did...

by Adam HunterPosted in God's Grace

I love Thanksgiving. Every year, my family used to go to a resort called The Concord in the Catskills of upstate New York, but it closed many years ago. Now we all gather at my parents' house in New Jersey... where my mom prepares a feast so incredible that no fancy resort could ever match it (if you've read mymom's brisket, you know I'm a big fan of her cooking). Like most other families, we go around the table saying what we're thankful for. But rarely are our stories of gratitude quite as dramatic as these three Mysterious Ways classics:

A Turkey on Every Table

We'd given our turkey to a family that was even more needy. But who would help us?
By Mary Jarvis, Pawhuska, Oklahoma

I lifted the heavy lid of our old freezer in the garage and peered inside, looking for some vegetables to make for dinner. For the past year, we'd scraped by on my small teacher's salary while my husband, Mike, was away at graduate school. With three hungry teenagers to feed, it was a challenge to stretch our grocery dollars. Now, one glance at the half-empty freezer made me question what I'd done on impulse a week earlier.

The Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Kathy, my 14-year-old, blurted out that one of her friends wasn't celebrating the holiday because her mother couldn't afford it. "We could give them our turkey, Mom," she said. "We don't need it since we're going to Uncle Pat's." How could I explain to her that I was saving our turkey for Christmas? We didn't have enough money for Mike to come home for Thanksgiving. The kids and I were going to my brother-in-law's so I wouldn't have to invest in a big dinner. How could I afford another turkey before Christmas? 

We taught our kids to help others. But to help someone else when we could barely help ourselves? Still, I knew I couldn't say no. Lord, I hope you have a plan because I sure don't.

We gathered up a bag of potatoes and cranberry sauce I had in the pantry. I sent my son, Matt, out to the freezer in the garage to get some vegetables—and the turkey. When we brought Kathy's friend the food, her mother cried tears of joy. At the time, their happiness made me feel better about giving away our turkey. But now, looking into our freezer, I wondered, Who's going to help us?

I rummaged through the frozen containers—broccoli, carrots, some blackberries from our garden. I pushed aside some frosted bags of green beans and corn. Wait…something was there. Suddenly I stopped and stared. Nestled among the vegetables was a newly bought turkey.

I never found out who the mysterious donor was. Does it matter? Whoever it was knew exactly what we needed, when we needed it.

⭐

She may never know who it was that had provided that turkey for her that day. She asked the question: Does it matter? Perhaps not to some. But what does matter is giving thanks to God for his provision She did not say she had done that. However, she hoped he had a plan. And he did. But, when it gets right down to it, giving thanks to him for his blessings to us, is what he asks of us. Because our gifts are from him. Whether by some one we know, do not know, or by a supernatural hand of God, we thank he, who knows our needs and wants to fulfill them. Because of his great love for us.

I hope you are enjoying these Sunday stories I have been sharing with you. God is good and it is sometimes can give us hope in him, reading about what others have struggled with and how he gets them through difficult situations. God bless your day!