In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an Autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies.
In 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.
Then came The Great Depression of the ’30s, and the World Wars the first half of the twentieth century, and now terrorism and the threat of a nuclear war facing the world today.
It seems that it takes adversity and hardship to make human beings thankful.
The ’40s saw world war and social restrictions, with the woman of the house having to go to work to support her husband overseas fighting for liberty and security at home.
The ’50s seem to have been the golden years for our country, as far as employment and having enough income to pay to buy cars and houses, and the leisure to take a vacation. Four million babies were born each year during the ’50s, giving us the generation of Baby Boomers who are now retiring, and taxing the Social Security system that never counted on 4 million checks needing mailed each month.
The ’60s brought J.F.K. and the Vietnam War, the draft, students protesting war, women demanding equality, the drug culture, experimentation with Eastern mysticism. Martin Luther King Jr. and Bobby Kennedy were assassinated. Woodstock saw 400,000 young people drop out for three days of free love and harmony.
The ’70s brought leisure suits and flared trousers and peasant blouses. Political conservatism and traditional family values were advocated, while faith in our government leaders spiraled downward with the behavior of President Richard Nixon. The Arab embargo left Americans at long lines at the gas pumps.
The ’80s saw a freeze on nuclear arms between Russia and America, and Reaganomics (with promises of big tax cuts and smaller government); and the resulting growth to trickle down to everyone, ended up as the ‘Great Recession’. Businesses closed, families lost their homes, and farmers lost their land.
The ’90s saw the Persian Gulf War, and Generation X coming of age. Tattooing became popular; and the O.J. Simpson trial dominated the news. AOL advocated the internet, and many mourned the mysterious death of Princess Diana. George H.W. Bush gave his speech about the New World Order, promising to end chaos and aggression. Then the Balkans cleansing, as well as the genocide in Rwanda, and a Terrorist exploding a bomb in the World Trade Center, shattered the hopes of those promises being kept.
The ’00s brought us Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube; all providing instant communication, without one-on-one, face-to-face contact. Blogs on every subject imaginable, typed from the living rooms of people all over the world.
Y2K threats to our ATM, and fears that our economic security would vanish. Narcissism, and its ‘all-about-me’, took over our youth.
This decade brought us a president with unverifiable origins, directing us into accepting everyone and everything against Christianity and the One True God, in the name of ‘Tolerance’. Radical Islam cannot be named, for fear of offending those who openly offend those who stand for social values and morals founded upon the Bible. Open borders allow anyone to enter our country and receive benefits that our poorest Americans cannot begin to attain. Inequality, fraud, deceit, and corruption, permeates all levels of society, while respect for others has vanished. World War III is about to break out anytime, after the Paris attacks and the involvement of Russia and Iran in Syria. Israel is waiting to launch an attack to defend herself one more time, as America withdraws support for her, and the rest of the world promises to erase her from the map.
The Pilgrims and President Lincoln surely would declare a national day of Prayer and Fasting, asking God Almighty for His help for all the evils that we face as individuals, and as a Nation, and as a world. Yet, many today, including our national and world leaders, are aggressively denying God’s very existence, and have removed His Name and His Laws from the land. Chaos and inequality abound, while humans have become more like animals, fighting for survival of number one, at the cost of all others.
What are you thankful for this Day of Giving Thanks? More importantly, who are you giving thanks to?
If you have family, health, enough money to pay your monthly bills, decent transportation, a roof over your head, and clothes on your back, then everything else in this world is a plus. When is the last time that you bowed your head and heart and thanked God that He has allowed you to have what you have?
Have you walked through a nursing home lately, or a hospital, or driven by the homeless shelters of your city? Do you know of neighbors and friends who are out of work, or who have serious health conditions, or have loved ones and friends who are facing a real crisis in their lives?
Have you asked God to intervene on their behalf? Have you thanked God for His angels around you and your loved ones?
When we draw our last earthly breath, what will be important to you? How much education you had, how much money you made, how nice your house, or car, or toys, were??? None of these things will matter to you, or to anyone else.
They will remember what was in your heart, and with what attitude you loved life; and so will you, and so will your Lord.
Take time to look back on the history of our country and world, and see how it has become more disconnected than ever before, and how it keeps descending back into its animalistic nature. Then take time to look back on your own life, and see if you have mirrored the world…..or if you have tried to keep your distance as you drew near to your God; and give thanks for each little thing that He blesses you with, and say a prayer for those who are less fortunate.
“And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.” (Colossians 3:15)
Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace; and only He can give peace to those who allow Him. Just take a moment to say, “Thank You” to Him and see how good you feel inside, as the tension melts into a calmness that words of this earth cannot describe!
