Of all the American holidays, the one I have wished we could adopt here, in Australia, is the one celebrated in the US on the fourth Thursday in November: Thanksgiving Day. While reading the opinions and articles from various American writers reflecting on the day and its meaning, I selected these.
Thanksgiving: A Lesson in Gratitude
The lesson to draw from this is perhaps that gratitude does not come easy. It must be learned and earned. Those who experience true hardships in life are often able to see the world in perspective. Knowing that a good life cannot be taken for granted and that happiness and comfort can be robbed from you at any moment enables you to appreciate life whenever it shines benevolently upon you.
Don’t Give Up on the Blessings of Freedom
Remember, evil prevails when good men and women do nothing.
Refuse to remain silent. Take a stand. Speak up. Speak out. Recognize injustice. Don’t turn away from suffering.
When it comes time to giving thanks for your good fortune, put your gratitude into action: pay your blessings forward with deeds that spread a little kindness, lighten someone’s burden, and brighten some dark corner.
Be a hero, whether or not anyone ever notices.
Acts of benevolence, no matter how inconsequential they might seem, can spark a movement.
All it takes is one person to start a chain reaction.
This Year Giving Thanks Isn’t Enough
The left hasn’t won because their cause is more righteous or because the majority of Americans support their efforts – quite the contrary. Indeed, the left has won because we have let them win.
That must end and it must end now.
It is incumbent upon every single conservative in this country to fight back and we must take the fight to every corner of our country and of our culture.
The God of Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving, historically, is a day set aside for people to express their gratitude and humility before a sovereign, holy, and all-powerful God.
And Thanksgiving is most meaningful when the giver of thanks understands that he is not entitled to anything. That even when times are difficult — even when tragedy comes — we still have many things for which to be thankful, because, in and of ourselves, we have no claim to anything. If nothing else, the mere fact that we are breathing — that we are alive — is sufficient to offer thanks to the Creator who breathes life into man.
So many people believe that God or the government or society owes them something. In reality, you owe God. You owe God your thanks and praise for the many blessings you’ve received, and you owe God your repentance for the many wrongs you’ve committed.
That is the meaning of Thanksgiving. Anything less than that, and the holiday is vain and hollow.
