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It wasn't easy for Thanksgiving to become a holiday. Even now it finds itself stuck between Halloween and Christmas, nearly completely lost to the department stores that move quickly from all-things-creepy to Ho-ho-ho. George Washington apparently proclaimed a National Day of Thanksgiving in 1789, although many opposed it, saying that the hardships of a few pilgrims did not warrant a national holiday. Thomas Jefferson actually scoffed at the whole idea of a day of thanksgiving. It was the efforts of one, Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor who, after a long 40 year campaign of editorials she wrote for her Boston Ladies' magazine, as well as much letter writing to governors and presidents, saw her dream become reality when, in 1863, Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November to be a national day of Thanksgiving. Every president since has upheld Lincoln's proclamation.
Still, the benefits of such an attitude of gratitude, are often overlooked, just as they were by those critics of George Washington. A doctor who used to see a lot of depressed and unhappy patients used to prescribe a "thank-you" cure. He told his patients that for six weeks they had to say "thank you" for every good thing that happened to them and keep a journal of the incident. The cure rate was remarkable.
Compare that to this rather troubling interview given by the recently deceased Paul Newman on his 64th birthday recounted in the "Beacon Journal": "I look like I am having a lot of fun, but I should be having a lot more fun than I am. In work, I'm unhappy because I will never be good enough. I'll never be a proper father or an extraordinary boxer or a capable skier or an astronaut. These are things I'm missing. If they say you are accomplished, but you don't feel it, what good is it? I'm just a little kid from Shaker Heights who had some luck." He then spoke of an epitaph for himself that concluded that he "died a flop." Now, I will grant you we have all had birthdays that brought us down, but rather than being grateful for his years of wonderful creativity and the compassion he was able to show through the donations to charity made through his food products, all he could do is lament the possibilities of life he felt were now lost to him. Had he been able to make thanksgiving a habit he could have had a whole different perspective of his life.
Now, again, do some comparing of that interview to the Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians where he admonishes us to rejoice in the Lord, to know that the Lord is near, to not worry about anything, but, "in everything by prayer and supplication, J£i1tJ thanksgivinglet your requests be made known to God." (Phil. 4:4-6).
It may help to recall, at this point, that this letter to the Philippians was written from a prison cell, his greatest desire. to continue traveling and preaching the gospel in new and distant places, now a lost cause. Even so, that did not prevent Paul from displaying his joy in Christ and his gratitude for all his life had become in Christ. I find it equally interesting that in the days after the Revolution, George Washington could not find much support for a day of thanksgiving in this new nation. It did not become a national holiday until Abraham Lincoln made it so ... during the darkest days in the middle of the Civil War, that was threatening to permanently tear this nation apart.
Life may or may not look very bright for you as you read this, but I pray you will be able to remember the many reasons you have to be thankful come November 27th. Dare I say that. as these examples show, it may even be easier for us to do so the more difficult our lives may become? Recount the blessings of God in Jesus Christ and the ways He has been at work in your life. It will be a wonderful reminder to you of how trustworthy God is, how much He cares for you, and that, no matter what your struggles may be, you do not struggle alone. Your Savior is by your side ... and He always will be! Have a happy and blessed Thanksgiving Day.
Jeff |