Thanksgiving is one in all our nation’s most cherished traditions. Earlier than America was even based, the Pilgrims expressed gratitude to God for His many blessings – even when life was onerous.
And life was onerous. The Pilgrims’ voyage throughout the Atlantic Ocean took 65 days in chilly, depressing situations. A lot of them turned unwell, and one particular person died earlier than the Mayflower reached Plymouth in November of 1620. Lower than half of the Pilgrims survived that first winter. And but, regardless of their adversity, their governor, William Bradford, proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving for God’s grace and provision.
Over 200 years later, in 1863, President Lincoln known as for a day of thanksgiving within the midst of equally tough instances. He and his spouse, Mary, have been mourning the latest loss of life of their 11-year-old son, Willie, and the nation was embroiled in a bloody Civil Warfare. But, Lincoln declared the final Thursday of November of that yr as a day of thanksgiving and prayer.
Perhaps you’re going by a tough time this Thanksgiving. You’ve had a tricky yr. Illness. Monetary issues. An empty chair the place a beloved member of the family used to sit down. It’s not simple to be grateful when life feels so darkish. However as Dr. Tim Keller mentioned, “It’s one factor to be grateful. It’s one other to provide thanks. Gratitude is what you are feeling. Thanksgiving is what you do.”
