One of my squad mates had part of George Washington’s 1789 Thanksgiving Proclamation (and a link to the entire text) in her facebook status. I went to read the whole thing (take a minute and read it here if you want to get the gist of what is to come in this particular blog), and a few things have struck me in light of that.
First: Life’s not perfect, but there is always something to be thankful for.
I hope, by this point, everyone reading this blog has come to realization that Thanksgiving isn’t just about the day(s) off, the food, or the football games. As wonderful as having the day off, the vast array of food, and the entertainment all are (as well as the company), and as much as I enjoy all of it, none of these things are worth anything if I ignore God’s hand of provision in all of it.
I truly am blessed. While every kind of pie under the sun may not have been an option for dessert, the turkey was a lot smaller than in years past, and Grandma’s having Thanksgiving somewhere else while (in my imagination) Grandpa is sitting up in heaven smiling and watching our family’s tradition of sitting down to eat at noon Thanksgiving day continues, there has been so much to be thankful for today. Oliver’s home for Thanksgiving for the first time in five years. Today is James’s 19th birthday. I’m healthy, and I’m working. And while many of my squad mates are bundled up and bracing for rain and snow the next few days, I am sitting at my computer in capris and a tank top, knowing tomorrow’s high in Phoenix is forecast for the low 80s (sorry for rubbing it in, everyone not down here).
And there is plenty of love and laughter as the food is passed. Because God is good, no matter what the food selection, the company, or the weather.
Second: How can we know what to be thankful for without the opposite?
This isn’t a new realization, just new thoughts to add to the same conclusion. We can’t. If Oliver had been here the last five years, I would take his presence at the dinner table today for granted. If not for all of the struggles with James, this would just be another birthday… just one of the twenty or so birthdays of family members I need to remember a date for. And if I hadn’t gone to school in Flagstaff (where it does, indeed, snow), I wouldn’t understand the joys of living in a place where I can still run around in shorts and a tank top at the end of November without freezing.
Thankfulness and struggle go hand in hand – whether it’s your own personal experience, or stories you’ve heard and been affected by.
Third: How do you stop at just giving thanks?
The final paragraph of George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation reads like this : “And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications
to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other
transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the
people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and
faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such
as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to
promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science
among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal
prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
“
to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other
transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and
relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the
people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and
faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such
as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to
promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science
among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal
prosperity as He alone knows to be best.
“
What that tells me is that this Thanksgiving Day wasn’t just a day set aside to be thankful. It was also meant as a time to set aside to seek God and ask for forgiveness, for strength and ability to do the tasks we’ve been assigned, for blessings and protection for ourselves and for the nations of the world, and anything else that needs to be addressed. This is a day set aside for prayer.
And, I’ll be truthful – I’ll spend a lot of the rest of today with my family in a state of thankfulness, but I will also try (today and in the future) to carve out a time of extra prayer. Because that is part of what today was meant for.
