Blogger: Mary Keeley
Despite the death of roughly half the Pilgrims during the first harsh winter of the Plymouth colony, the grieving survivors celebrated several days of thanksgiving to God for his care and bountiful harvest the next year. Though life was hard not one Pilgrim gave up and went back when the Mayflower returned to England.
Are you thankful for these blessings today?
- Freedom to worship and live as you choose
- Living in a democracy where your vote counts
- A roof over your head and food on your table; furnaces for heat and A/C for cooling
- Education opportunities
- Health and advancements in medicine
- Technology
- Family and friends; your church community; your writing community
- Sunshine, rain, and yes…snow; the beauty of creation that God designed for us to enjoy
- Your giftedness in writing
- Your difficult seasons, when God stretches you and grows you spiritually to know him more closely.
Add to the list and personalize it for your own special thanks-giving list.
How better to express thanksgiving to God for these blessings we enjoy and often take for granted than to quote Psalm 95: 1-6:
1Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!
Let’s all make a joyful noise to the Lord today, lifting up our songs of thanksgiving and praise to him. It is fitting and right. I’ll be doing so with my family, as you may be with yours. But feel free to share your grateful thoughts here among our community as well. Happy Thanksgiving.
TWEETABLE:
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, America. Click to Tweet.
Shirlee Abbott
November 27, 2014 at 4:15 amThat’s a comprehensive list, Mary. Let me add electricity and all the technology empowered by it–as I was reminded when yesterday’s lovely snow interrupted our power several times. I am thankful for the technology that lets me study Scripture with a click and keep up with family & friends all over the globe. I am thankful that God’s power is ever-present. I am thankful for the imaginations and never-ending ideas that power our collective writing. Thanksgiving blessings to all you God-powered, tech-savvy, imaginative friends who gather here Between the Lines.
Elaine Faber
November 27, 2014 at 12:05 pmWe must all have thankful hearts for the abounding blessings we enjoy in the USA. How sad to think of the tribulations other Christians suffer in other countries. On this day of thanksgiving, let’s not forget to be thankful for the freedom to worship as we choose without fear that the next knock on the door could be someone hauling us off to jail. Hope all have a bless day.
Christine Dorman
November 27, 2014 at 12:19 pmThank you, Mary, for this wonderful blog.
I am thankful to God and my parents for the gift of life and for teaching me how to love.
Thanksgiving blessings to you, to this blog community and to your family and friends.
Paula
November 27, 2014 at 4:44 pmI’m thankful that even though my husband had to work today, that he has work that he finds engaging and challenging and that pays well enough that I can stay home with the kids, homeschool, and be the writer and artist I’ve always wanted to be. This is my dream house and my dream life, even if I do have a nasty cough right now ;P it’ll pass, and we’ll make up our own Thanksgiving on Sunday 🙂
Jim Lupis
November 27, 2014 at 6:22 pmTo everyone @ Books & Such, and to the wonderful community of writers who follow this blog, Have a blessed Thanksgiving! I’m thankful for all of you. 🙂
JP Osterman
November 27, 2014 at 6:39 pmThanks so much for wishing “your followers” a happy Thanksgiving. I pray our Lord continues to bless you and your agency.
J.P. Osterman
S. Skaer
November 28, 2014 at 7:21 pmI loved you list!
This Thanksgiving we did something a little different – we made a list of past blessings we were thankful for; the cancer that didn’t kill my mom, the auto accidents that could have been fatal but weren’t, the time my husband was under enemy fire in Iraq, and the bullets missed him by inches. A brother almost died in a helicopter crash, another who almost broke his neck…and the list continues. It is amazing to stop and consider how often God has protected us! God is gracious!