Wednesday, November 24, 2010

The Real Meaning of Thanksgiving

Most Americans know the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. They know all about how the Indians and Pilgrims shared food that day and thanked God for all He had done for them. Some people know that Lincoln was the person who proclaimed a day for giving God thanks and that Franklin Delano Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of every November.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day that is for most people just a day to get together with family, stuff themselves with turkey, and watch football. For me it is much more than that. It is a chance to remember Jesus' ultimate sacrifice for me. It is a chance to remember God's authority and sovereignty even when I can't understand why He does what He does. It is a chance to thank Him for everything He does for me. "O, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good..." But like most religious holidays, Thanksgiving has been transformed into just another holiday when the family gets together and celebrates. What are they celebrating? They don't even think about it-- or want to think about it. The only purpose for Thanksgiving, according to them, is to eat turkey and be merry with friends and family. Some other people may actually give God thanks for what He has done, but it is the only day of the whole year that they actually take the time to do so.

Hopefully for you Thanksgiving is more than all this. Hopefully you, too, understand what a great opportunity it is to be able to give thanks for everything. But hopefully it's not the only day you give thanks to God. Many times we get so caught up in our lives that we forget to thank God for what He does in our lives. We forget to tell the Giver of All Good Gifts that we are thankful for what He has bestowed upon us. May we never forget what Thanksgiving is really for--and may we never forget to thank God every day, and not just on this special holiday set aside for thanksgiving.

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