Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving currently celebrated on the fourth Thursday in November, is a tradition stretching back to before the United States was ever even formed and ultimately becoming a federal holiday until 1941. Thanksgiving is an observation to give thanks to God. Most will celebrate by coming together in the home with family and friends for a time of fellowship, feasting, and giving Glory to God; yet some will not.
Thanksgiving can be traced to harvest festivals which have been celebrated in many cultures since ancient times, the American holiday is tied to the deliverance of the English settlers by God, through the Native Americans, after the harsh winter at Plymouth, Massachusetts and that event has become the historical epic foundation of thanksgiving in North America. The first Thanksgiving feast lasted three whole days providing enough food for 53 pilgrims and 90 Indians. That very first Thanksgiving was celebrated to give glory, praise, and ultimate thanks to God for His Providence in helping the pilgrims survive the brutal winter. More than half of the pilgrims who began the journey to the colonies on the Mayflower died; many more would have had it not been for God using the Native Americans in teaching the pilgrims how to harvest foods in the new land.
Thanksgiving today is sometimes celebrated differently in today's post-modern society. Some, if not most, don't even pray before any meal; much less praying before a thanksgiving meal. In this current self centered world the entire meaning of being thankful, as well as the true meaning of thanksgiving is tainted if not lost altogether.What are you thankful for this thanksgiving? Is your life lived in obedience and giving glory to the Lord, in the good times and the bad? Do you take many things in your life for granted? By looking at the world a little differently, you just might realize how much you have to be thankful for. Life should be focused on living in gratitude and love, fully aware of God's presence at all times. This is an attitude to have daily. For true Christians thanksgiving is not a once a year deal, it is an everyday way of life. Sharing this with joy and thanksgiving with others and showing the Love of Jesus Christ will help maintain a daily balance in the walk of life.