It is a bad time of year to be a turkey. In the days ahead, slow cookers, smokers, fryers, and all manner of food preparation devices will be fired up to prepare the centerpiece of Thanksgiving meals across the country and through the ages, the Thanksgiving turkey. I confess, I don’t really like turkey. I’m convinced we only eat it once or twice a year, not because it’s expensive or difficult to prepare, but because we all know in our hearts (our mouths) that it’s nasty. On its own, even the best tasting turkey is painfully close to seasoned, moist cardboard on the flavor spectrum. But, eating turkey is a long-standing tradition that is inextricably linked to the ethos and identity of the holiday season. Even I, the iconoclastic, non-traditionalist, turkey hater that I am, believe one hasn’t had Thanksgiving if one hasn’t had some turkey.
There are two types of people when it comes to turkey: Those who believe cranberry sauce belongs on it and those who see it as a holiday hate crime.
There are two types of people when it comes to turkey: Those who believe cranberry sauce belongs on it and those who see it as a holiday hate crime. For many years, I was firmly aligned with those who were against cranberry sauce. The combination struck me as something that surely only served to make a bad dish worse. Fruit should go inside the bird when one is fattening it up, not on the bird as we fatten ourselves up. The only legitimate way to make a turkey both edible and somewhat enjoyable was to drown it in a sea of gravy, but don’t fruit the bird!
A few years ago, I was invited to join the Thanksgiving celebration with the family of my friend and business manager, Jeanne Nichols. Ms. Jeanne, as we call her in the office, is nothing if not eclectic and adventurous when it comes to food. She is constantly bringing in interesting, and sometimes insane, items to share with the church staff (PB&J M&M’s and Mystery Flavored Pop Tarts that tasted like garlic immediately come to mind). So, I wasn’t terribly surprised to find cranberry sauce beside the turkey. When she offered it to me, I declined and explained my aversion to fruited bird. But, Ms. Jeanne persisted and insisted that I couldn’t know what I was missing if I didn’t taste and see. Reluctantly, I scooped out some cranberry sauce, spread it onto a bite of turkey, and prayed for the best as I put it in my mouth. To my utter shock and amazement, it didn’t taste terrible. In fact, it made the turkey not only tolerable, but downright tasty! That day, Ms. Jeanne won a convert with the gospel of cranberry sauce with her persistent and patient preaching and I was blessed as a result.
The psalmist rightly encourages, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (NKJV).”
As we quickly approach Thanksgiving, I find myself reflecting on all the things I have to be thankful for. First among them is the many people who patiently and persistently preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to me. I was by no means hostile towards Jesus; there was just a lot I didn’t know. By God’s grace there were good men and women who shared their stories and experiences with me. Consequently, I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior at a young age and have continued to experience the blessings of the power and presence of His Holy Spirit in and through me. The psalmist rightly encourages, “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him (Psalm 34:8, NKJV).”
If you haven’t given the Lord a try, I can’t recommend Him enough. He is truly good and your life will be blessed if you let Him in. If you have tasted for yourself and are a believer, let’s share the good news with all who will listen. As Ms. Jeanne preached to me that day, one can’t know if one doesn’t taste and see. Let’s offer up the gospel and pray that many learn and experience for themselves what’s truly good.
