A Life of Perpetual Thanks
November is a month when most people take some time to reflect upon the idea of Thanksgiving and some people even put an emphasis on being thankful for something in particular. Because of the holiday, we are prompted to embrace gratitude and appreciation in some sort of way. Because of this, the year doesn’t get away from us without the celebration of at least one day in which thankfulness takes the center stage.
Did you know that, historically, the Thanksgiving celebration is a reflection of several cultural customs that are attached to ‘seasons of thanks’? New World settlers set aside multiple festivals to show thankfulness for a bountiful harvest. The first documented Thanksgiving commemoration was in 1619 as a result of 38 English settlers arriving to the New World aboard the ship, Margaret. Regarded as a religious celebration, the participants gave thanks to God, Almighty for his mercies and favor as the settlers traveled to their new home, now known as the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The most common historical version stems from the Pilgrims and Puritans accounts of the 1620s and 1630s. These religious sects would worship with extraordinary gratefulness, praising God for His provisions, as the settlers sought refuge in the New World in order to practice their faith, uninhibited.
Of these accounts, none is more popular than the account from 1621, when Pilgrims in Plymouth, Massachusetts held a celebration of thanks for their survival of the previous winter when food was scarce and many settlers were ill. With the help of Native American tribesmen of the Patuxet, named Squanto, and the assistance of the Wampanoago tribe, the settlers managed to survive a harsh, brutal winter.
To show their thanks, the Pilgrims shared a feast and celebrated with their Native American friends, as they lifted thanksgiving and praises to God to express their gratitude. Many of these festivals would last for several days, as the participant weighed just how blessed and appreciative they were. In addition, much of the platform to their belief system was hinged on appreciation and thanks that was expressed on a daily basis.
This leads me to the passage from1 Thessalonians 5:16-21, telling us to;
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 19 Do not quench the Spirit. 20 Do not despise prophecies, 21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Here, we find words that instruct us to always rejoice; in all situations give thanks; never cease to pray; and hold to it for it is good towards our destiny. It is so encouraging that there is a reason to be thankful all the time. Even in the midst of trials and hardships, we can be thankful. If not for any-other reason, we can be grateful that we have a loving and caring heavenly Father who cares about us.
For this reason, as God’s beloved children, we should look to continuously give thanks and praises to the Lord. Perpetually thanking him for all he has done, all that he’s doing, and all that we know he will do. He is the reason we live another day. He is the reason we eat another meal. He is the reason we breathe another breath. He raises us up and he lays us down and even provides the place we lay our heads.
I like how Hebrews 13:15-16 reminds us concerning the aspects of perpetual thanks, saying;
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. This Thanksgiving season, let’s not just express our thankfulness to God for all he has done for us; but, let’s share the ‘attitudeofgratitude’ with others so that they can see how great God is and the difference that he makes in our lives.