Day #8
"Then the sicknes begane to fall sore amongst them, and the weather so bad .... the Gov/r and cheefe of them, seeing so many dye, and fall downe sick dayly, thought it no wisdom to send away the ship...."
In November of 1620, a group of people stepped off of a ship called the Mayflower and set foot on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. We tend to idealize the pilgrim story both in word and pictures, if we remember any of the original story at all. But the truth is, it was a cold winter and there was already sickness and disease on the ship from treacherous conditions of the voyage. By the spring of 1621, when they finally left ship to build huts on shore, only 5 of the 18 women who made the journey were alive, and only 53 of the Mayflower's 102 passengers were alive.
And yet, they set aside a day of giving thanks. Despite the tragic losses and the unbearable difficulties, they knew the importance of being thankful to God in whom they trusted regardless of the extreme difficulties in pioneering this new venture toward a better way of life.
And yet, they set aside a day of giving thanks. Despite the tragic losses and the unbearable difficulties, they knew the importance of being thankful to God in whom they trusted regardless of the extreme difficulties in pioneering this new venture toward a better way of life.
The true test of whether or not we have developed an attitude of gratitude is whether or not we can give thanks for what we do have, despite the injury, wounds and pains of our journey in this life.
Are we sincerely thankful for what we have, or are we too busy wanting more?
Have we developed strength of faith characterized by resilient trust in the midst of failure, difficulties or pain, or have we allowed our trials to make us fair-weather believers?
Thanksgiving is about setting aside at least one day out of the year to give thanks to God and to each other for what we have - as the pilgrims did - inclusive of the past hardships, present difficulties and future hopes.
Are we sincerely thankful for what we have, or are we too busy wanting more?
Have we developed strength of faith characterized by resilient trust in the midst of failure, difficulties or pain, or have we allowed our trials to make us fair-weather believers?
Thanksgiving is about setting aside at least one day out of the year to give thanks to God and to each other for what we have - as the pilgrims did - inclusive of the past hardships, present difficulties and future hopes.
Truth is, we are all pilgrims here on earth in this life. We are all seeking a better way of life. Each one is blazing a trail in some capacity for someone who will come after us. Are you blazing a path marked by gratitude and faith, or something else?
I wonder. If we begin practicing being thankful the way those first pilgrims did, understanding what their true conditions were... will our pre-dinner prayer change next week?
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Thanksgiving Funny:
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