I was in the local Wal-mart last week and I noticed all the Thanksgiving items and decorations were 50% off ALREADY! There were two more weeks at least left for people to buy pumpkins, cornicopias and turkey items to decorate their homes with! Unfortunately the shelves had to be cleared for all the Christmas stuff! So there I was with Trey digging through a small section of things just thrown in a random pile trying to find what I was looking for. I was stunned by the realization that Thanksgiving might just be losing it's meaning to some.
I know that most of us do not have Thanksgiving movies that we gather the family and watch, we don't decorate our yards with pilgrims, no one walks around town singing songs about the season either. There are no trees to decorate with pumpkins and no one buys gifts at Thanksgiving time and there are no people dressed as turkey's at the mall taking pictures with our kids. (thankfully!) Yes...it must be very hard to compete with Christmas! But in the midst of Black Friday ads and the unrelenting Christmas commercials on television there is a very important holiday called Thanksgiving that none of us should consider lightly.
Thanksgiving....is it just football, greenbean casserole and planning our shopping strategies? Well....The original thanksgiving celebration was held by the Pilgrim settlers in Massachusetts during their second winter in America in December, 1621. The first winter had killed 44 of the original 102 colonists. At one point their daily food ration was down to five kernels of corn apiece, but then an unexpected trading vessel arrived, swapping them beaver pelts for corn, providing for their severe need. (Answer to their prayers I am sure!) The next summer’s crop brought hope, and Governor William Bradford decreed that December 13, 1621, be set aside as a day of feasting and prayer to show the gratitude of the colonists that they were still alive. Wow! That puts a new perspective on things...I can't imagine 5 kernels of corn per person to eat a day! We would't make it. We would all have died the first day! ha.
If the pilgrims gave thanks and they almost lost half of their population then I think we can show some of our appreciation and gratitude for all that God has given us. After all the name of the season is called "Giving Thanks"-- We should gather with our loved ones and friends and share turkey, pumpkin pie and conversation and despite any sorrows or set backs in our lives we exchange with one another our blessings. It doesn't have anything to do with material things...it has all to do with what is going on in our hearts. Because despite where any one of us are at right now in our lives...you can find something to be grateful for. And a thankful heart releases a very strong thing in your world.... it releases joy in your spirit and faith in your world.
"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:16-18
Are you a thankful person? Are you thankful for your present circumstances? Are you thankful for your salvation, your friendships, and your job? Thankfulness is a key to your life. It is the key that turns your situation around because it changes you, your outlook, and your attitude. There is power in a thankful heart. When you are around a person that is generously thankful it is magnetic...you just want to hang out with them all the time! It is because it feels good to be around an encourager and an up-lifting person! Examine your attitude and what is coming out of your mouth and speak out thanksgiving and speak out praise not only to your family and friends but most importantly to God.
Let me encourage you not to allow this Thanksgiving to come and go without taking inventory of yourself. You can hand the cranberries to your family member and hand over some appreciation as well. There may be people at the table who are irritating but there is something that you can truly say to him or her to make their day! You can also share what God is doing in your life and where He brought you from. Biblical gratitude isn't something that should pass from our minds with the passing of a season either. It's a God-focused response to circumstances that should pervade each moment of each day of each year!
May you, your family, and friends enjoy a blessed Thanksgiving season...all year long!
❤Jonna
