Thanksgiving Thoughts

Affectionately called Turkey Day and celebrated as an important day for sitting on the couch watching football--Thanksgiving has changed a lot since its official creation. It was created by a proclamation made during the Civil War. Lincoln wanted a day set aside for Americans to look to God and declare their gratefulness.

I helped some families celebrate this holiday yesterday. As part of The Gathering, a college ministry, I helped distribute Thanksgiving boxes to 600 families. It was hard to imagine what they could have to be thankful for, having to stand outside in the street on a ridiculously cold morning to get a turkey and canned goods for Thanksgiving. After playing with the kids, though, and seeing adults dancing in the streets to the music coming from the loudspeakers, I began to see how much we all have to be thankful for. It became pretty obvious that God blesses all of us each day with innumerable non-material blessings, ones we often don't recognize.