This is a question that would not have even been asked 30 years ago. And yet, here we are. Americans, young and old alike, have begun to wonder, should we celebrate Thanksgiving?
Here are some of their reasons for wondering.
It’s not culturally sensitive.
It might hurt the feelings of the Native Americans.
Not everyone in America is of European descent.
Who are we thanking? Not everyone believes in God.
So the question is out there.
Should we celebrate Thanksgiving?
We all know the stories, right? How the Pilgrims came to the “New World” looking for gold, tricked the natives into helping them, and then killed them all? This is the story that much of “higher education” wants you to hear. I read a book recently that was recommended as a children’s history book that taught this way. It gave the impression that all of the Europeans coming to America were greedy, heartless murderers. If these stories are true, why would we celebrate Thanksgiving?
Fortunately, they’re not true.
Many of the Pilgrims coming to America were looking for religious freedom. They’d been persecuted and driven from their former homes. They risked being thrown in prison if they were caught worshiping as they chose. Coming to America was a huge risk for them and they all paid dearly, if not with their own lives, than with the lives of their family or friends.
Let’s not take their sacrifice for granted.
Thanksgiving is on Thursday and we, as Christian Americans have a duty to teach our children the true story behind Thanksgiving. Yes, we also want to teach them about what transpired later, but to give them real perspective, we need to be teaching ALL aspects of history.
One of my favorite Facebook storytellers is Tara Ross. She has several books out, but her daily posts are what I really love. Click here to read her post about Thanksgiving from last year. It’s a good one to read to the kids to help them understand the sacrifice that the pilgrims made in coming to America.
Spend time thanking God.
Even though not all of Americans are Christians, those in the Christian community do not need to cower in fear. Our country was founded on Christian principles which is made clear by George Washington’s Thanksgiving proclamation (interestingly given just a month after the First Amendment was submitted to the states) which begins with,
“Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor…”
Read the rest of the proclamation and you will find that Washington was not the only one with this view. Both houses of congress had made the request that Washington make this proclamation. And so we see that it is not only good to thank God for his provisions, it is our duty.
Spend time this holiday season thanking God for His rich blessings and goodness to us. We can thank Him for His physical blessings, but more than that, be thankful for His love, His grace, His mercy, and the truth found in His word.
Happy Thanksgiving!
LOVE THIS!