When Thanksgiving Made No Sense
In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln asked Americans to do something that must have seemed almost impossible. He asked them to give thanks!
America was in the middle of the Civil War. Families were divided. Thousands of soldiers had died. Mothers were burying their sons. Wives were becoming widows. The future of the nation was uncertain, and Lincoln wanted everybody to celebrate Thanksgiving?
On October 3, 1863, Lincoln issued a proclamation establishing the last Thursday of November as a National Day of Thanksgiving. What makes his proclamation remarkable is that Lincoln didn't pretend everything was wonderful. He acknowledged the terrible suffering of the nation while reminding Americans that God had continued to bless them. He recognized those blessings as gifts from Almighty God and urged the nation to respond with gratitude, repentance, and prayer.
Lincoln understood something we sometimes forget. We don't have to be thankful for everything that happens to us to be thankful for what God has done for us! Most of us find it easy to thank God when our health is good, our families are happy, and our bills are paid. But what happens when the doctor's report is frightening, our marriage is struggling, or someone we love dies?
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NLT). Notice that Paul didn't say to be thankful FOR every circumstance. He said to be thankful IN every circumstance. There's a world of difference!
Thanksgiving isn't pretending we have no problems. It's remembering that even in our problems, we still have a God who loves us. This November, before counting everything that's going wrong, try counting everything God has done right. You may discover that even in your darkest season, you have more reasons to be thankful than you realized!