November 20, 2011

The Turkey - A Re-Post in Honor of Thanksgiving

We were flat broke with several more days to payday. With three kids to feed and a pantry nearly bare, things looked pretty grim. I mentioned my concern to a close friend at work.

"Remember when God paid your insurance? If He will do that, he will surely fee your family as well. Trust Him."

She then told me this story.  A flood ravaged a small community, forcing many residents onto their roofs to await rescue. One man, looked at the water already lapping against his ankles, realized he couldn't wait too much longer to be rescued. Unable to swim through the raging water, he faced certain death if he wasn't found very soon. Desperate, he cried out to God to rescue him. God promised He would.

 A rescue helicopter noticed the man on the roof, flew over and lowered a rope. The man waved them off. God was going to rescue him and he didn’t need the helicopter. The crew shook their heads at the man’s foolishness and moved off in search of other victims.
Two men came by in a row boat and offered to take him with them. He refused their help also, again stating God was going to rescue him.

A surge of water swept the man off the roof and he drowned. Standing before God he asked why He hadn’t saved him as He had promised.

God replied, “I sent you a helicopter and a row boat, what more did you want?”                                                                                                                 Author Unknown

I thought about the story as I drove home that afternoon. Okay, whatever God sent my way, by whatever means, I would not decline the offer. I would look for and accept the helicopter or a row boat. I didn't expect God to send me a turkey.

When I walked into my kitchen, I discovered a twenty pound turkey, thawed and ready to cook, was sitting in my sink. Thinking of the story, I knew it hadn't simply materialized. Someone had put it there. Only one person, besides the family, had a key to the house, my mother.

I called her, and listened to a story almost as amazing as if the bird had suddenly materialized out of thin air.

Several days prior, the freezer belonging to a woman neither of us knew malfunctioned and everything in started to thaw. Most of the food the woman was able to either cook or transfer to the freezer in her refrigerator, but the twenty pound  turkey wouldn't fit and it was too much for her family to eat without re-freezing the left overs. She offered it to a neighbor. The neighbor accepted it, then decided she didn't want it. She passed it to a friend. That friend accepted it, then decided she didn't want it either. She in turn passed it on to someone else.

This was repeated over and over until the bird was passed from home to home all the way accross town to my mother. Mother accepted it on my behalf and brought it down to the house just before I arrived. By that time the bird was completely thawed and ready to cook. Dinner would be late, but there certainly would be plenty.

And now, every Thanksgiving when I look at the turkey and see images helicopters, rowboats and my kitchen sink, I bow my head and say, "Thank you."

8 comments:

  1. Isn't that just like God? He is so good! I love these kinds of stories. Thanks for sharing it.

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  2. I had almost forgotten this. Found a mention of it in my journal and decided to share it. Glad you enjoyed it.

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  3. Awesome! I love how God shows up with His great surprises in ways we never expect. I've always loved that joke/story. Such a great lesson. Thanks so much for sharing it! May you have a very blessed Thanksgiving!

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  4. ...beautiful how God provides and even more beautiful when we realize the chain of hearts for God it took for Him to deliver His blessing. Sometimes it's hard to imagine that many hearts open to God's calling, even in something as simple as passing along a turkey for Thanksgiving. In the last three years, I have had many experiences like this with my husband unemployed and in college. Thank you for sharing this and reminding me to be more gracious and to have more gratitude for all of God's blessings. ~ t

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  5. Lynn, altghough the story has been around for a long time, I thought it could bear repeating. It does have a great lesson in how us God choses usually choses to work His miracles - through others. May you also have a blessed Thanksgiving!

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  6. Teri, I will add your family to my prayers this holiday. I know He will provide everything you really need, as He has for me. It does get a bit interesting when finances get lean and needs rise.

    May you also have a blessed Thanksgiving.

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  7. What a beautiful story of God's faithfuless and provision! Thank you for sharing!

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  8. What a wonderful reminder of God's love and provision for His children....It's a shame we miss so many blessings because we are looking for Him to act in a different way......

    Thanks for the reminder....

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