Thanksgiving is one in every of our nation’s most cherished traditions. Before 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. Many of them grew to become in poor health, and one person died earlier than the Mayflower reached Plymouth in November of 1620. Less 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 occasions. 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 War. Yet, Lincoln declared the final Thursday of November of that yr as a day of thanksgiving and prayer.
Maybe you’re going by way of a tough time this Thanksgiving. You’ve had a tricky yr. Sickness. Financial issues. An empty chair the place a beloved member of the family used to take a seat. It’s not straightforward to be grateful when life feels so darkish. But as Dr. Tim Keller mentioned, “It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.”
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