On this Thanksgiving in 2020 what can we do? First, give thanks. The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing and in your prayer and supplication, give thanks. Ok, great what are we to be thankful for? Perhaps, in God’s wisdom he knew that once we find things to be thankful for we will be willing to fight for them.
Be thankful that we live in America. Be thankful for the family members you still have and can visit with. Many of us have family members we can’t visit, we can’t see. That can be a good start, but also there are many other things.
Be thankful for our history and that we can study it. America’s story is far from over and it’s history is fascinating. Is this the first time America has faced a crisis? What have we done in the past?
I, for one, find it comforting to read our history and find solutions to current problems in it. When it seems hopeless and you are facing despair it can be helpful to have a proper perspective. That’s what history can be, a perspective.
During the Revolutionary War when Thanksgiving came and went soldiers were in despair. They were hunkered down fighting the enemy, disease, and the cold. As the leaders of those times were trying to pump hope and something worth fighting for into the very people they were leading, I’m sure they struggled. Even though Thanksgiving wasn’t a national holiday at the time, many may have been wondering if there would be a nation to create a holiday in their future. Simply put, they were in despair and probably didn’t have much to give thanks for. What did they do? They fought like there was something to fight for.
During the civil war as president Lincoln surveyed the landscape of the nation he may have found it hard to find something to give thanks for. As he declared Thanksgiving a national holiday and started an American tradition to give thanks, he knew then, as we do today that we can always give thanks. The evils of the Civil War and many deaths that lay at its feet would have been devastating, no doubt it filled many with despair. What could they do? They fought, like there was something to fight for.
In the times of the Great Depression, World Wars and the great pandemic of 1918 it would have been hard to give thanks. What did Americans do? They fought, like there was something to fight for. It would be hard to argue that they weren’t thankful for their country as the lined up to fight for her.
What can we do now? We can fight, like there is something to fight for. In short, you fight for what you appreciate, for what you are thankful for. We can fight to preserve our nation to stop the encroachment of tyranny. Liberty is at stake and we can sit back and do what we are told or we can give thanks. As history has shown when you find something to be thankful for you will fight for it.
justindcarlsonblog 