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Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
-Psalm 100
Thanksgiving day has become a tradition. It has developed, grown, and transitioned from being a simple spiritual act of acknowledging God's blessings, to a national event of unbridled proportions. Let us celebrate God's gifts to us during this Thanksgiving season.
Here is a part of the Thanksgiving story you may not know. While the first Thanksgiving was celebrated in October of 1621, it was not until October of 1777 that all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving, for the first time. At one point, our first president, George Washington, proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving, but conflict and difficulties among the colonies put an end to its observance.
In 1863, after 40 years of letter writing and campaigning by magazine editor, Sarah Josepha Hale, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving. Since then, every president has supported Thanksgiving.
This day is meant to be a time to stop, take notice of our blessings, and acknowledge God with a grateful heart:
- Be thankful for the clothes that fit a little too snug, because it means you have enough to eat.
- Be thankful for the mess you clean up after a party, because it means you have been surrounded by friends.
- Be thankful for the taxes you pay, because it means you are employed.
- Be thankful that your lawn needs mowing and your windows need fixing, because it means you have a home.
- Be thankful for the laundry, because it means you have clothes to wear.
- Be thankful for the space you find at the far end of the parking lot, because it means you can walk.
- Be thankful for the lady who sings off-key behind you in church, because it means you can hear.
- Be thankful if you wake up early in the morning, because it means you are alive.
Let us speak of the mighty and wondrous things that the Lord has done, and share our thankful hearts one with another.
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