In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (I Thess. 5: 18)
Being thankful is active and requires action, it is far from passive. We chose to be thankful and express it through our words and deeds. I am reminded of that today as we celebrate Thanksgiving. The North American holiday we celebrate, Thanksgiving Day, was initially celebrated in 1619 by British settlers at present day Berkeley Plantation in Virginia and in 1621 at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts. The idea was that the settlers were to set aside the time to thank God for their good fortunes of making it through the first winter and subsequent harvest (after all, many died during the first winter).
With that said, I am also reminded that as a Christian, thanksgiving is not limited to a once-a-year holiday, it is a lifestyle. As a Christian, everyday is thanksgiving – thanking God for family, friends, job, food, shelter, health, and even trials and tribulations. Did you just say “trails and tribulations”? Yes, we are never guaranteed nothing bad will happen or we would not have problems. When trials and tribulations come, we should be reminded of the promise that God left us recorded in Romans 8:28'... that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.' This verse reminds us that not just some things, but “all” things work together. When trails and tribulations come, we needed to be reminded to put it/them in perspective and see beyond the trial/tribulation and look forward to the resolution.
I thank God for you and your support, I hope that this blog continue to be a blessing to you. In a world full of suffering through homelessness, discrimination, wars, poverty, and persecution, being thankful should be an everyday perspective for all of us who have so much compared to a significant majority of the world’s population. Happy Thanksgiving Day
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