A New Kind of Thanksgiving

Professor Wong reflects upon his first Thanksgiving as a father.

11/23/18

This Fall Break, there will be no biscuits and gravy every morning.  There will be no fried chicken liver or smoked turkey for Thanksgiving dinner.  And there will definitely not be a constant discussion about how great the Alabama Crimson Tide football team is to that of the disappointing Auburn Tigers.  No, this Fall Break will consist of diaper changes with the occasional shriek of a baby crying in the night.  But you know what, I would not change that for the world.  

This Thanksgiving, I am reminded how blessed I am as a first time father. At times, I catch myself gazing at this tiny human in my arms. I have taught human growth and development in Biology class the past 15 years, but to experience the miracle of life is beyond comprehension.  It truly is a testament of how great our Creator is!  

Well, like any newborn, Ariel needs to be fed about eight times a day.  And like any newborn, she would be extremely upset when we are late in feeding her.  In other words, she demands her milk!  Spiritually speaking, I am reminded of 1 Peter 2:2-3.  It says “Like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”  As my baby attacks that milk, I wonder if I crave the Word of God like that.  Often times, I feel like I replace that pure spiritual milk with tainted spiritual junk food.  Thus, if I want to grow spiritually, I must crave His Logos and His Logos alone.

Secondly, this Thanksgiving, I am also reminded of “tasting” the goodness of God.  This “tasting” requires me to trust and obey His Word.  There is a strong correlation between obeying God and experiencing Him in a more intimate way.  And there is no doubt that my faith grows whenever I trust and obey Him, especially when times are difficult.  And when God carries me through, in His time and in His way, I experience Him more.  He becomes even more real in my life.  I taste His goodness, andthe result is, I crave Him more.  

During this Thanksgiving Season may we realize how blessed we truly are.  May we whole-heartedly seek after the Source of all our blessings, the Blesser Himself.  And may we trust and obey His Word and experience Him more in our lives.