We were created to be thankful…
On October 3, 1789, as requested by both houses of the United States Congress, President George Washington issued a proclamation recommending to the people, “a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be… devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be.”
Traditionally, Thanksgiving in America has been a time when “we the people” pause to give thanks to God for His blessings in our lives. Many in America today would secularize this holiday, trying to remove the God part. How preposterous! The problem with this is that thankfulness must have an object or it becomes nothing more than an abstract concept. People have no control over the things they should be most thankful for; their life, when and where they were born, their capacity to think and do, etc. We were created to be thankful to God!
“. . . in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thess. 5:18
To view George Washington’s original Thanksgiving Proclamation – http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw4.jpg
To view the Library of Congress transcript of the Proclamation – http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html