There are many occasions in the Bible where God exhorts His people to remember. God directed His leaders to erect monuments that marked certain events. God also instructed His people to write the Word of God on the doorpost of their houses, and to write out scripture and tie it in their clothing.

Why? We forget where we came from and what we have, and only focus on our perceived lack. God instituted festive celebrations and told the people to gather in Jerusalem at certain times to remember and give thanks to God.

The Thanksgiving holiday has been a mainstay in America that takes us back to our roots. That first Thanksgiving found some weary immigrants far from home in a foreign and hostile land, but grateful for God’s provision of a bountiful harvest. They had a feast together, including some of their Native American friends. Those early settlers knew that only by God’s hand had they survived, and that their future was firmly secure in God’s hand.

Through the years we have seen a general erosion in the importance of pausing to give thanks. Many things have entered our lives to distract us from properly remembering. First, it was football. Not bad in and of itself, but when the first football game begins about mealtime on Thanksgiving Day, the focus of Thanksgiving is lost. These days the distraction is shopping. The Christmas season, which has also neglected the true meaning of celebrating the Christ child, is now beginning right after Halloween and shoving Thanksgiving off the scene.

Shopping is not bad within itself, but when marketers display a frenzy of advertising bargains, etc., we stop being thankful for what we have and can only think about what we want. There will be some families this year who will eat their Thanksgiving meal at some fast food place between mad dashes to stores.

There is a worldwide movement called, “Lest We Forget.” The symbol of that movement is the poppy flower. The poppy is the first flower to bloom on ground devastated by the activities of war. When you wear a poppy, you are acknowledging the sacrifice of brave men and women who gave their lives for a cause for the greater good.

Thanksgiving should be our American “poppy.” Thanksgiving celebrated properly will lift us all to better living.

It is impressive to note that people who have immigrated to the USA, and have endured the rigors of becoming citizens, have a great appreciation for what this country stands for. They study the Constitution; they know what America is about. They cannot get to their feet fast enough when the national anthem is played, and they proudly proclaim their gratefulness for a place unsurpassed in the world for liberty, justice, and freedom.

Let us take Thanksgiving back. Gather family and friends and take time to remember and give thanks to Almighty God.

 

Dan Puckett works with road team operations at Life Action Ministries in Buchanan, Michigan.