Thanksgiving is a strange holiday.
It shouldn't be. The concept is so powerful: a holiday to say thanks to God. It's existence is based on the fact that people are most thankful when times are the worst. It was during the Revolutionary War that the Continental Congress announced a day of Thanksgiving for the colonists. Likewise, during the Civil War President Lincoln declared a day of Thanksgiving for Americans. And it was during the second World War that President Roosevelt set the date of the holiday as the third Thursday of November -- at the time of great national crisis.
After the War, the holiday was morphed into another kind of day entirely.
There are three things that now mark Thanksgiving: food, family, and football. While these are not bad in themselves, they have created harm in that they have taken the place of giving thanks to God. Sure, there may be a prayer before the meal, but none of us can claim that this is the focus of the thoughts of the majority of Americans.
However, if we can recognize it, the trio of food, family, and football can actually be avenues that lead us to the acknowledging of God.
The sumptuous food we eat at Thanksgiving is created by God. The Lord provides the sun, the soil, the rain, and the seed that produce our vegetables. God even created turkeys! Each bite we take at our Thanksgivng meal we should think of the truth that "this is the gift of God."
When our family gathers together, we should consider that families are made by God. He brings husbands and wives together. He is the Creator of each child who comes into this world. He places the lonely into families, where they find acceptance. We honor God if at Thanksgiving, as we look across the room at our gathered family, we think on the truth that this is God's doing.
And then football. Three things characterize football: physical ability, competiveness, and fun. Though we often miss it, these things are from God. He is pleased when we develop dexterity, when we work to excel, and when we enjoy life. If we could just see that God is not against fun, as long as we do not transgress what's holy. As we cheer, groan, and declare what our strategy would have been, we have to remind ourselves that God laughs in pleasure at our enjoyment.
Every event in our lives can be a moment of Thanksgiving. When we recognize that and live that, we are truly thankful people. It's not just Thanksgiving, it's Thanks Living.
Dale Travis