Let us give thanks
Why do we set aside one day a year to give thanks? Shouldn't we be thankful for our blessings every day? I believe a thankful heart should be an integral part of us manifested every day in everything we do. However, a special emphasis on giving thanks on one special day can serve as a reminder of blessings we may be prone to forget.
Does anyone doubt we all have blessings for which to be grateful? The historic Thanksgiving celebration of the Pilgrims came at the end of a harrowing year in which many of their number had died of hunger, cold, and other hardships. President Abraham Lincoln first declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in the middle of the Civil War. More American lives were lost in that war than in all other wars from the American Revolution through the Korean conflict combined. Thousands were mourning the death of a son, husband, or brother. Many needed goods were in short supply. It was a time of privation and heartache. Were these times to give thanks? Most definitely. No matter how bleak things appear, a grateful heart can find reasons for gratitude.
Most of us in this time and place are blessed with an abundance of food, clothing, and shelter, with basic rights and freedoms and with a television set on which to watch Macy's parade and the football game.
It is easy to take these and many other blessings for granted. Students at Learning in Retirement were reminded forcefully of one of our greatest blessings when Pastor Steve Humber spoke to us about the persecution of Christians around the world. He told of countries where possession of a Bible can get a person a long prison term. Yet many are eager to get their hands on one, hungry to learn more about God.
In this country anyone who wants a Bible can have one for the price of the book (or often free from the Gideons or other Christian organizations) and read it openly without fear. Most of us own several. Have you thanked God for His Word lately? Do you read it with the kind of hunger shown by people who risk everything for the privilege? I confess I'd have to answer no.
The art of giving thanks, even on this one day a year, can often be lost in the seasonal rush.
With so many stores, cities, and individuals putting up Christmas decorations early in November, we can almost forget the very existence of Thanksgiving. I am particularly offended by the trend toward stores' staying open on Thanksgiving Day. It seems our culture is so driven by greed that business owners must entice those early Christmas shoppers instead of giving their employees a day to get together with family and savor their blessings. Of course, storeowners would not stay open if the rest of us did not make it pay. I confess that even I have been known to eat Thanksgiving dinner in a restaurant.
As you gather for the Thanksgiving holiday, go ahead and relish the turkey and dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Take pleasure in reunions with family and friends. Enjoy the football game on television or a pick-up game in the backyard or whatever traditions belong to your family.
But in the midst of all that frivolity, take time to read a few joyful psalms, thank God for the long list of blessings which are yours, and end your prayer with this petition voiced by George Herbert, "O God, who has given us so much, give us one thing more: a grateful heart."
Jane Vajnar
Contributing writer
