Returning to Thanksgiving

Many years ago when my children were young, it was my intention to spend part of Thanksgiving Day morning by leading my children and Cathy throughout the house thanking the Lord for what He has given to us.  

To me, Thanksgiving Day in the USA had drifted away from its original intention and I was determined to do my part to help focus our household on the Lord.

It was President George Washington who proclaimed Thursday, November 26 to be "a day of public thanksgiving and prayer”. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving Proclamation that declared the last Thursday in November to be a day of "thanksgiving and praise."

My children were tired and would have probably rather watched the “Rose Bowl Parade”, but I was determined to do thanksgiving differently than we had in the past few years. So, we started on the third floor of the house and I asked each of the children to thank the Lord for something that they were grateful for. Because they were tired, the words came out like an old car that had not turned over in a few months. I prodded and poked and exhorted them to give the Lord thanks.

And then, something wonderful happened! The Lord opened their eyes to see ALL that He had provided. Item by item they thanked for what they could see. And as they did, Cathy and I recalled how the Lord had provided the item to us; that was big and small items alike.

My recollection is that we spent at least forty five minutes going from room to room, floor by floor all the way to the basement verbally thanking the Lord for His provisions as they were pointed out one by one. I was amazed at the number of items that my children pointed out to me that previously were a part of the scenery and therefore hidden to me. Items like carpeting and paint and lights and videos and tapes and Louder and louder the praise was lifted up as they all joined in.

To me, not only was it one of the best Thanksgiving mornings that we have spent together, it was life changing for me! To this day, when my mind becomes focused on something I don’t have or something that needs to be replaced, I will walk through the house, thanking the Lord for each and every item that I see as I recall how He provided for me in the past.

 

And, with every passing moment my faith becomes elevated to trust Him for what I need today. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!