Gratitude

As families around the country prepare to gather with family, eat turkey and perhaps partake in some Black Friday shopping, they might be surprised to learn how much we don’t know about the origins of the Thanksgiving today. Back in 1621 it was called a fall harvest and lasted 3 days. 

Nearly all of what historians have learned about the first Thanksgiving comes from a single eyewitness report: a letter written in December 1621 by Edward Winslow, one of the 100 or so people who sailed from England aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and founded Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts. William Bradford, Plymouth’s governor in 1621, wrote briefly of the event in Of Plymouth Plantation, his history of the colony, but that was more than 20 years after the feast itself.

According to this account, the historic event didn’t happen on the fourth Thursday in November, as it does today—and it wasn’t known as Thanksgiving. In fact, it took place over three days sometime between late September and mid-November in 1621, and was considered a harvest celebration.

“Basically it was to celebrate the end of a successful harvest,” says Tom Begley, the executive liaison for administration, research and special projects at Plimoth Plantation. “The three-day celebration included feasting, games and military exercises, and there was definitely an amount of diplomacy between the colonists and the native attendees as well.”

 But giving thanks isn’t a practice reserved for a single day each year. It has deeper spiritual significance and benefits that ring true long after the leftovers are consumed.

Gratitude is a heart tenderizer. It keeps our eyes focused on God, the source of all good gifts. It keeps our hearts open, and with open hearts, the fruits of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control—have ample room to grow.

Here are some things we give thanks as they occur or all year long or in some cases a lifetime of joyful thanksgiving.

1. Thanksgiving When Something Big Happens

The Red Sea just parted. Pharaoh’s army disappeared in its waves. And the Israelites stand in awe on the other side of slavery — free  at last, free at last.

For us it can be many things. Marriages, birth of a child, graduating for higher education. That special job we got that set us out on life, enlisting in the military, Celebration of Life for those that have passed on and yes in our Book of Worship even divorce.

2. Thanksgiving in the Face of the Unknown

In times of uncertainty, it may seem strange to turn to gratitude, but think about it: when else do we need to rely on God most except when faced with the unknown? For me it was going to Navy Boot Camp at age 16, For others it could have been marriage or birth of a child.

Many reason to show gratitude because God is with us through it all.

3. Thanksgiving in sorrows, testing, trials

Over and over again, the psalms show us what it means to be thankful, even in times of fear, sadness, and grief. Gratitude draws our eyes away from the pain, terror, and anxiety of loss and helps us focus on the gifts of this world, moving us forward along the healing process.

After he loses his family, his property, and his health, Job, the sufferer of sufferers, cries out, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” (Job 1:21, NIV)

4. Thanksgiving When You Don’t Feel Like It

Sometimes God feels distant or silent. When this happens in my life, the full emotions of joy, empathy, grief, and anger seem to level out to monotony, routine, and boredom. If God seems distant, the desire to praise him and give thanks for the routine just isn’t as exciting as the other seasons, when things are good, life is full, joy is easy.

Yet again, the Bible shows us thanksgiving as a response to God, even when he’s silent, even when we don’t feel like it. This sacrifice of thanksgiving — and it is a sacrifice, mustering up the habit of praise if your heart isn’t in it — drags you, step by step, back into the presence of the Lord. 

6. Thanksgiving as a Community

Gratitude collectively as a family or a community is a tremendous equalizer — when differences of political or religious or cultural opinion and stance are present, gratitude helps us to focus on the areas of our relationships that matter the most. It’s hard to be grateful for each other and still wield our theological, political, and cultural weapons.

9. Thanksgiving in God’s Presence

And then there’s Sunday morning. Then there are the times we gather together as a community of believers. Then there are the times we walk in the woods, wander along the coast, stare into the sky, watch the leaves shift in the trees, and wonder, awe, and joy bubble up. Wherever you find yourself deeply connected to God — in nature, in a chapel, in your backyard, in silent meditation — is an opportunity for gratitude.