My Pineapple Thanksgiving

Read Time / 2 Minutes

Theme / Holiday Celebration

It was a thanksgiving experience like no other.  We were celebrating the Lord’s blessings in Papua New Guinea, an island nation in the South Pacific.  It was an outdoor event with tribal groups singing praises as they carried their garden produce in front of the onlookers to lay it down reverently on a platform.  The garden produce was an offering to God; Papua New Guineans thanking the Lord for His blessings.  It was a true expression of gratitude; unlike I had experienced during Thanksgivings in the States. 

Instead of turkey, there were pineapples, large and juicy, picked that morning. Instead of pumpkin pie, there were sugar canes yet to be stripped for their sweet juice inside. Instead of cranberry sauce, there were bananas, two-dozen to a cluster, grown in local gardens.  The trimmings of Thanksgiving may have been different, but the giving of thanks was real – a cultural expression of gratitude – and meaningful beyond expectation.  The garden produce was eventually distributed to help those in need: prisoners in the provincial prison and patients in the local hospital.

Ultimately, the Bible is a book about thanksgiving; thanksgiving directed toward our Heavenly Father.  In 1 Chronicles 16:34 we read, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”  His goodness and enduring love are the reasons to celebrate Thanksgiving. 

I still enjoy all the trimmings of a Thanksgiving holiday meal in America, but I wonder if it ever will be as meaningful as it was in the South Pacific.  May our prayer each Thanksgiving be for authenticity, having hearts full of sincere gratitude.  Thanks be to the Lord, for He is good!

Doug Hanson, MBA

Wealth Advisor

(208) 697-3699

doug@christianwm.com