Thanksgiving

This is the time of year that we set aside to say thanks. I have often wondered if we do a very good job of giving thanks at Thanksgiving.
What is the holiday actually about? Do we focus on the first Thanksgiving where the settlers of the New World had a feast with the natives to show appreciation for what they did to assist them when they arrived grossly unprepared? Do we focus more on the spiritual aspect of taking time to thank God for His provision? Maybe we take one day to step back and give thanks for everything, giving God the praise for it all.
However, if you look at what we actually do, most of the stuff listed above is not the focus on the fourth Thursday of November.
Most people actually do not have a great grasp on what actually happened that first day of feast. The Europeans who made trhe trip here were not ready for the harsh winter of the northeast. Many died and many more would have if it were not for some merciful native Americans who helped the new lighter skinned neighbors. The feast was a celebration of life, survival to be more exact, giving God praise for His grace and thanks for the help of the uncivilized population they rather peacefully invaded.
I believe that we should tink about that at this time of the year as well. There are people all around us who fall ill and pass away. Many of them are elderly and the outcome is ratehr expected, but others are young and seemingly not ready for that final step into eternity. Each and every day we need to give thanks for life and on Thanksgiving maybe we should make a special effort to be thankful for our survival, our continuing life.
The spiritual side of the celebration has been masked by the other activities. It is entirely possible to celebrate Thanksgiving without including God at all. To some, Thanksgiving is a day for a parade in New York City, two football games during the day and one at night, an opportunity to dig into the closet and secure the festive ornaments of the next months celebration and, possibly the most important, the day before Black Friday. None of those activities have anything to do with God and His provision. Some have managed to take the star of the show out of the special day.
Thanksgiving should be a time for reflection, thanking God for what He has done and trusting Him to do what needs to be done in the future. As you celebrate next week, I pray that you not only celebrate a meal and enjoy the traditions, but that we take time, like those who celebrated this time first, to say thank you for His great gift of life.