Things To Be Thankfull For

It is Thanksgiving time once again, so I thought I would write a little about. Just a little history behind it and what it means to me.

Thanksgiving was first celebrated in 1621 by the Pilgrims in the Plymouth Colony. So why were they celebrating? The first winter they spend in the New World weren't too kind to them. After this harsh winter they were able to plant thier crops which flourished. As the fall rolled around Governor Bradford decided to have a three day feast to celebrate the good harvest. This feast was rooted in the traditions that they came from. An anual Harvest Festival was celbrated in both England and Holland were they came from. So 55 colonist and 100 native americans celebrated with fish and wild turkey. Bradford wrote:

Famine once we had-
But other things God gove us in full store;
As fish and ground nuts to supply our strait,
That we might learn on Providence to wait;
And know by bread alone man live not in his need.

So that is how it all started. It was celebrated off and on at different times of the year for the next several years. In 1789 Congress asked George Washington to proclaim the first national Thanksgiving Day. For years some prsedents would proclaim a Thanksgiving Day and some wouldn't . By 1830 however it was a general custom. Finally President Lincoln declared the last Thursday of November as Thanksgiving Day. In 1941 President Roosevelt changed it to the 4th Thurseday of November.

So what does it mean to me? For me it has grown from a time to be with the family to a time to reflect on what God has done for us and to truly thank Him for everything He has provided us with.

In Luke 17 we see this in action. Jesus had just healed 10 lepers and sent them off to the Temple to be cleansed. 9 out of the 10 went on thier way, but the 10th didn't. Once he realized he was healed, he came back and " with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks." This is what the Lord wants from us. We should be thankfull for all the blessings He has given to us. It goes on to say that Jesus told this man "Were ther not ten cleansed? But wher are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?...Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well" So what does this mean that his faith has mad him well. Wasn't he already healed. His physical body was healed earlier, but by coming back and giving thanks to Jesus, this man was made whole and healed spiritually. In a sense God gave him more blessings. When give thanks to God for what He has done for us, we will come to know God better and understand his Grace that much more. It isn't like getting any extra rewards because it is thier for anyone to have. You just have to give thanks to the Lord.

So what am I thankfull for this year? Here is a list and I am sure I will forget a few things.

1. My family (at least most of the time)
2. My niece and nephew (Elizabeth and Sam)
3. My friends (you know who you are)
4. My job, it does pay the bills
5. My house and everything that I have
6. My good health
7. This great country and all the freedoms we take for granted
8. My church
9. My church family
10. Everything that God has blessed me with this year
11. Each day that the Lord leaves me here to do His work and be a wittness to people

and finally just everything that the Lord has done for me. For sending His son to earth to be a sacrifice for us, so that we may be redeemed. For everything He has done in my life the last couple of years. I don't know where I would be with out Him.

So there it is, what Thanksgiving means to me. So all of you out there have a great Thanksgiving Day. Don't eat to much and rember to be thankfull for everything you have, because it you could loose in an instant. I know I will. 'Till next time. -THE GREAT ONE