Giving Thanks

SOMETHING TO REFLECT on as you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner: If were a Pilgrim back in 1621, would you have been thankful?

The men and women who broke bread together on that first Thanksgiving uprooted themselves from their homeland and sailed for America. The crossing was rough, and the Mayflower was blown off course. Instead of reaching Virginia, where Englishmen had settled 13 years earlier, the Pilgrims ended up in Massachusetts. By the time they found a place to make their new home, in Plymouth, winter had set in.

The storms were frightful. Shelter was rudimentary. There was little food. Within weeks, nearly all the settlers were sick. Many never recovered, half of their company died, especially in January and February. Others were infected with scurvy or other diseases. As many as two or three people died per day.

When spring came, they tried planting wheat, but the seeds they brought from Europe wouldn't grow in the stony soil. The Indians showed them how to plant corn, but their first harvest was dismal. When supplies ran out, their sponsors in London refused to replenish them. And the first time the Pilgrims sent a shipment of goods back to England, it was seized by pirates.

If you had been there in 1621, saw half your friends and family die, suffered through famine and sickness, and endured a year of disappointment and tragedy, would you have been grateful?

Gratitude isn't an emotion we cultivate enough. Even on Thanksgiving, we are more likely to concentrate on the turkey or the TV than on giving thanks. But perhaps we would think differently about thankfulness if we realized its extraordinary power to improve our attitude and outlook. So, as we reflect on how blessed we are, how can you show gratitude this Thanksgiving? What are you most thankful for? There are probably dozens of things if you think about it. This Thanksgiving, let’s take pause and thank God for all He’s done for us.