My Turkey’s Cooked . . . Or Not

My Turkey’s Cooked . . . or Not

Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.

Philippians 4:6

You don’t understand.” I was losing patience with the fast-food clerk. “I ordered this turkey two weeks ago for our Thanksgiving office party. Twenty people are supposed to be eating it”—I pointed to my watch—“in thirty minutes. It was advertised as ‘cooked.’” I tapped the frozen bird. “It’s hard as a bowling ball.”

“Sir, it is cooked. You need to thaw it and warm it for about two hours.”

I was fouled and frying. “You sell cooked, ready-to-eat chicken, not frozen. I expected the turkey to be cooked!”

“Sir, it is cooked. If you don’t want it . . .” she said, reaching for it as if it were a long-lost relative.

I grabbed it and left. Then I said a quick prayer in my car. What am I going to do, Lord? I did not really expect an answer short of a heavenly zapped microwave beam, which was possible but not probable.

Driving to work I saw a barbeque restaurant I have frequented, and I thought, Maybe they have a way to quickly heat it?

Willie smiled as I explained what had happened. “I might be able to have it warmed in an hour, but not any sooner.”

I leaned against the wall, closed my eyes, and uttered another short prayer: “What must I do to be saved?”

I opened my eyes to see Willie slicing a loaf of meat. “What’s that?”

“Turkey breast.”

My answer appeared. “How many of those would I need to feed twenty people?”

“Most people can eat five, maybe eight ounces. Six loaves should feed them.”

“Give me seven loaves to go. That should tide them over.” I handed him the subzero turkey, saying, “I’ll be back in an hour.”

And it worked, providing me another reason for Thanksgiving.

—Al Speegle Jr.

Father, thank you for knowing our needs and meeting them with an answer beyond our expectations. Amen.