“I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
This quote is the heart of a proclamation made by US President Abraham Lincoln in the year 1863. Thanksgiving had routinely been celebrated, but this proclamation made it an official national holiday and reminder for Americans.
If you were to read the entire proclamation you could almost physically feel the sense of gratitude toward God for His indescribable grace upon a country, even while in the throes of a dreadful civil war.
Traditionally, giving thanks has been an attribute and characteristic of the American spirit and intellect. It was at the core of who we were as a people. Praise to our Creator for His gracious benefits was, as a rule, quickly, unashamedly, and even fervently declared.
But sadly, at least from my perspective, this spirit of thanksgiving in America has dramatically diminished; and it’s heartbreaking.
When discussing this topic it’s pertinent to call into use the theological term, “Total Depravity”. Depravity is the innate condition of man, outside of the grace of God in salvation through Jesus. This depravity, in simple terms means humans have the capacity to be as bad as possible. “Total Depravity” means there’s nothing we can do, in and of ourselves (in our own strength) to remedy our condition. We are “dead in our trespasses and sins”. I often describe it like this, “sin is not only what we do, it’s who we are.” Depravity/sin causes us to be ungrateful and distant from giving thanks. As America becomes an increasingly post-Christian nation, thanksgiving becomes an increasingly absent attribute.
In recent years I’ve been burdened by what I’ve witnessed in our culture; a blatant lack of thanksgiving for the tremendous blessings from our “beneficent Father.” The common grace America has been granted since its birth is beyond one’s ability to properly describe. Simply put, God has blessed us! We not only have the cake but an overabundance of rich icing! Problem is, depravity and thanksgiving are not kin. The more depravity the less thanksgiving; and depravity is not in short supply in America. There’s so much icing on the cake, we live in its sweetness. We’ve adjusted to, and live in a surplus of blessings. The icing has become our standard. We’ve forgotten that we are supernaturally blessed to have any cake at all, not to mention icing on the cake. In other words, we as a nation, are spoiled!
I consistently view social media posts with people rabidly complaining about a plethora of subjects. Here are just a few I’ve seen in recent weeks: A restaurant’s lack of immediate service (shocked they had to wait to be seated!), the health rating not being perfect, the thickness of their gourmet burger wasn’t sufficient, and the fries were too greasy! There’s more… one post pictured a small pile of gravel on the road in a neighborhood (obviously placed there until a job could be completed and in order to not harm a lawn), and someone was appalled that their neighborhood had this “eye sore!” Then there’s the social media “traffic pages.” The ingratitude manifested on these outlets is more than i can describe. So many tend to think they should never be “inconvenienced” by heavy traffic. And we can’t forget the roar of displeasure coming from many who move to an area, then publicly and earnestly complain about any growth that happens afterwards. I could list many more, but hopefully the point is made. I’m sure you’ve witnessed this colossal lack of thanksgiving as well.
I’ve been tremendously blessed and privileged to travel to multiple countries. God has used these experiences to shape my thinking and greatly increase my gratitude for what we have here in the US. Many countries would love to have restaurants where they would have to “wait to be seated;” or where they could get some “greasy fries.” Many would pay dearly to have nice roads to travel on, even if it took a while. Many would love to have a “pile of gravel” on their roads, so the massive potholes could be filled! Many would… many would… etc.
Speaking primarily to believers (Christians)… stop complaining! We have it so good; and ultimately we don’t deserve any of it! We, above all people should be stunned and amazed at God’s amazing grace in every area; and should use any and all trials and sufferings as opportunities to give God glory!
Work diligently to remember how amazingly blessed we are and let’s redeem the privilege of giving thanks this year!
Philippians 2:14-15
[14] Do all things without grumbling or disputing, [15] that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
Treasuring Christ 