Thoughts on Black Friday

On the day after Thanksgiving, there might be a few words that immediately come to your mind…

Black Friday (which this year we actually chose to avoid)

Crazy Shoppers
"I ate too much"

Lack of Sleep because you stayed up all night to get that “that amazing deal”

Thanksgiving Day Leftovers
"I ate too much"

 The Start of Christmas Movies on TV

Getting out the Christmas Decorations

Listening to the First Songs of the Christmas Season
Did I mention eating too much?

 For me, personally, Thanksgiving leftovers might be one of the first things that comes to my mind the day after Thanksgiving.  I must say I am a very big fan of Thanksgiving leftovers (well, quite honestly I enjoy leftovers any time really) However, in enjoying “my Thanksgiving” for a few more days, I know that what is on my table is not the same in other parts of the world. We so quickly hurry Thanksgiving day along and can so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and the commercialism of Christmas that we fail to spend time to truly reflect on the things for which we truly should be thankful for- one of which can simply be the food we put on our table.

Let me explain what I mean and expound on a thought that most likely many of us have rarely considered when we sit down to enjoy our leftovers after Thanksgiving Day.

Consider this- the orphan’s table.

Now, you are probably wondering what exactly I mean by this, but let me take a moment to expound and give you a wonderful resource for your children, youth groups, small groups, and families- one that will help to teach a simple truth of gratefulness and will impact you and your family far greater than “just words”. 

I’m sure that many of us have never paused to think about what an “Orphan’s Table” looks like the day of Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, or in general every day.  For most of us, we have an abundance of food, but for street children or orphans, many have little more than a simple meal of porridge or rice in many cases. My first observation of this came when I traveled to work in India. The photo below will be forever etched in my mind as staff at this orphanage, home to more than 600 children, took out large metal buckets of food to dish out to the children. Each child sat on the concrete floor and ate their meal out of a metal pan while flies flew all around. This is basically what they ate every day with very little deviation.

Oh the days before digital photos were the norm - :)

I think about our table yesterday during Thanksgiving (minus food, of course, as you can see below)

and I think what a great contrast the above photo taken in India looks like in comparison to what our Thanksgiving table looked like yesterday. Yet, this is the reality of what life is like for many children and adults around the world from day to day both in our own country and around the world.

It has been said:

Experiences Impact us far Greater than Words.

I can honestly say that these seven words hold an incredible amount of truth. You can certainly hear someone talk about any topic they choose, but until you experience it yourself they are but "words" to most of us. I would encourage you to check out the incredible resource and link below that comes from Christian Alliance for Orphans (which the organization I work for is a part of)  as it explains how you can have an “Orphan’s Table” event or host one with your family, children, or church.

An Orphan's Table

Orphan's Table Prayer & Discussion Guide

It’s quite a simple idea, but one that can be so impactful. Here’s how it works:

In order to focus on what a meal might look like in other parts of the world, gather your family, children, friends, or small group and create a very sparse setting where your entire group will eat a very minimal meal together (one that would be commonly shared by orphans around the world- i.e.- rice or Gruel ) and during the meal discuss the issue of orphans around the world, and center on Scripture and a time of prayer for orphans.  It will certainly stir up thoughts and spur conversation towards the things that we take for granted and for which we should be thankful. We hope you will find these resources to be helpful to your family or to your church.

For those of you who are curious, here are a few testimonies from other churches, youth groups, and families who have participated together in “An Orphan’s Table” on Orphan Sunday and throughout the month of November:

“The best part of our experience was hearing the children praying for orphans.  Praying that they will get a hug before bed, praying they might get to eat some watermelon or pizza and listening to them talk about how good their lives are and wanting the same for children without families. Hopefully we planted seeds for a lifetime.”

“We had the most incredible orphan’s table experience with our own children.  They were so worried about being hungry, as we fasted before we ate the lunch, and did not eat again until later that night.  We were really able to see the light bulb come on in their hearts and minds as they put themselves in the place of children all around the world who are hungry.  The verses and questions that went along with our evening were amazing."

“We hosted 'The Orphan’s Table' for 30 teens.  We started by talking about inconveniences they may have experienced this past week.  They shared experiences such as the pencil sharpener at school being full, the pizza being cold at lunch, people driving too slowly on the road, etc.  We then talked about the inconveniences that orphans face and that we were going to partake in a typical orphan meal.  They were asked to line up and walk through the kitchen to get their meal, and then take it to the garage to eat.  They sat on flattened cardboard boxes, with plastic bowls and drank water out of “dirty” cups.  It was silent as the girls looked at the food and it dawned on them what real inconveniences might truly look like.”

If you’ve ever hosted or participated in a similar event, we’d love to hear from you!