A Traditional Thanksgiving…with a Side of Rest

Welcome to Unwrapping Rest with Dawn Tolbert, a podcast to encourage frazzled women to break free from striving and unwrap God’s gift of rest.

Today’s episode is called A Traditional Thanksgiving…with a Side of Rest.

I received a text around four o’clock one afternoon asking if I could bring a couple of extra things for Thanksgiving lunch the next day.

I panicked.

Immediately I pictured myself trapped in a sea of shoppers at the grocery store, convinced they wouldn’t have what I needed.

I imagined driving all over town on a fruitless—or should I say, pecan pie-less—quest.

The irony, of course, was that I’d spent a good part of the day thinking about rest and how to introduce that very idea to you.

The first step in unwrapping God’s gift of rest is learning to recognize when our thoughts begin spiraling out of control and resisting the enemy’s attempts to steal our peace.

Gulp.

He certainly picked an area where I was vulnerable.

I’m not exactly Betty Crocker over here, and I needed to pull everything together quickly.

There wasn’t time to make a carefully organized plan or map it all out in my pretty yellow planner.

When my husband got home, we grabbed an early dinner and headed to the grocery store together.

And you know what?

We had the best time.

We ran into friends and family we hadn’t seen in a while.

We wished complete strangers a happy Thanksgiving.

We found every single thing we needed—and then some.

There was never any reason for all the drama and panic.

My overachiever heart could simply be thankful for a pre-baked pie.

As we walked back to the car, we were greeted by one of the most beautiful sunsets I’d seen in a long time.

We would have missed it completely if our evening had gone according to our original plans.

So this Thanksgiving—and every day—I want to encourage both you and me to embrace God’s gift of rest.

Even when the unexpected happens.

Even when life doesn’t go according to plan.

Instead of clinging tightly to our own expectations, let’s look for God’s unexpected blessings in the middle of changed circumstances, remembering that He is the One who remains in control.

This Thanksgiving, I’m especially grateful that God’s mercies are new every morning and that the Holy Spirit patiently teaches us—even when we don’t ace the test the first time.

What are you thankful for?

I’d love to hear from you.

Feel free to leave a comment or send me an email.

I hope you’ll join the Unwrapping Rest community.