Putting Thanks into Thanksgiving for Pastors’ Wives

The holidays are upon us. This means that, by the time you read this, you will be making plans for your Thanksgiving celebration. Maybe you are traveling to be with family. You may be hosting and have chosen your menu. That task is easier when your family anticipates their favorites year after year. Some of you are especially ambitious and have done some of the meal preparation ahead of time. You could be looking for time-savers because this is a busy time of year for families and perhaps even busier than usual for the pastor’s family.

Maybe you oversee decorating the church for Thanksgiving and Christmas. You might be busy rehearsing the children’s choir to get ready for the annual Christmas pageant or to perform special music during Advent. November feels like an especially demanding month in the church calendar for the pastor and his wife, and December is fast approaching. It is easy to lose touch with the purpose of the fourth Thursday in November. Here are some Thanksgiving tips for pastors’ wives to help put “thanks” back into Thanksgiving.

1. Bless others through your creativity

Typically, the wife sets the tone for the home and often the church as well. Your enthusiasm can be contagious and caught by those around you. Thanksgiving gives your creative abilities a place to shine. I love driving by homes this time of year. I marvel at Instagram-worthy front porches. There are such varied types of pumpkins and so many ways to display them! These porches are an indication that an artistic person lives within.

Your creative powers are at work in your kitchen as well. I’m sure you spend time thinking about how to accommodate people with different food allergies and preferences. You do your best to balance a carb-heavy meal with a few fruits and vegetables. Some of you decorate your Thanksgiving table with love and care, creating an environment that builds special memories.

Creative skills reflect the Lord’s creative abilities, a communicable attribute of the One who created the world. The Lord equipped his people with the creativity to construct the Tabernacle (Exodus 35:30-35), and he gives those gifts today. You readers who are creative types are a joy to others. We give thanks to God for you. And it’s not wrong to offer your thanks for how the Lord is using your creative abilities.

2. Find activities to encourage a thankful heart

Even those who aren’t creative can find ways to build a spirit of thanks among our family and guests. The holiday dinner is important, yes. However, others enjoy Thanksgiving parades, whether local or in New York. Football can overtake TVs all day long, but we can pause the food and fun to implement an activity pointing to the reasons we have to give thanks. 

Some families have a thankfulness jar filled with notes your family has written describing the many people or events for which they give thanks. When our children were young, we uncovered hand-drawn pictures on an “advent calendar” all month, counting down the days to Thanksgiving. This calendar reminded us each day of something for which we should give thanks: our house, mom, dad, our arms, our legs, our hands, our school, and above all, Jesus. When we gathered for the big meal, I would read aloud about the deprivation of the Pilgrims and the background of the initial Thanksgiving dinner.

I have joined others at a table while we relaxed after eating, listening to each person express thanks to the Lord for the person sitting next to them. From the oldest to the youngest, each guest is uniquely created by God and has qualities for which you can rejoice. Thanking the Lord for those you love has a biblical precedent. Paul thanked God for the readers of his epistles. In Romans 1:8, he thanked God for their faith proclaimed in all the world. The Corinthians were objects of thanksgiving because “in every way [they] were enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge” (1 Corinthians 1:5). Paul did not cease to give thanks for the believers in Ephesus and Colossae. He prayed with joy as he thanked God for the Philippians, etc. Your family can begin a tradition of showering others with thankfulness.

3. Develop your own heart of thanksgiving

Use this holiday to focus personally on God’s blessings. All your activities and preparations lead up to the primary goal of facilitating a day to give thanks to God. A thankful attitude grows when you purposefully find reasons to render thanks. “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

This might be difficult for you at the beginning of the busy holiday season, but to the extent that this truth lives in your heart, you will influence your family and church. The thoughts and motivations of your soul come out in your words. Jesus taught this in Luke 6:45. This article is a reminder to seek “good treasure.” Seek a grateful heart which overflows with thanksgiving. Aim to glorify God even when your day goes badly and your responsibilities endlessly flood over you.

Have you ever been compelled to make your family delay eating the Thanksgiving Feast because the turkey isn’t ready? I have. Instead of a frazzled attitude, replace that with a thankful heart and add more appetizers! When you are flexible with the inevitable hiccups that come with preparing a meal, your family will stay at ease. You will set an example of continuing to give thanks for all of God’s gifts, including the sovereign good plan of the Lord.

In summary, enjoy the Thanksgiving season and embrace these Thanksgiving tips for pastors’ wives. Give thanks for the ways you can use your creativity to bring beauty and good memories to your family and your church. Seek out some activities to encourage others to give thanks. Realize that the celebration of thanks, which begins in your heart, will spill over onto your family and church.

©2023 Caroline Newheiser. Used with permission.