|
Special
Feature
Don't
Celebrate Thanksgiving
By Wanda Burnside
Hooray for the days of autumn!
I just love this season of changing colorful leaves on trees, cooler
weather, cinnamon spicy things, a trip to a cider mill, long walks
on a path of crispy fallen leaves, football games (just a little
bit), geese flying high in the sky in V-formation, harvest events,
and so many other cozy things. Thank you Lord for the beauty of
autumn.
However, the thing that I love the most
about this time of the year is the Thanksgiving holiday. This is one
of my favorite holidays for so many reasons. Thanksgiving is truly
very special. I have fond memories of this
great holiday. I praise the Lord
for growing up in a home where giving, caring, and sharing was
stressed throughout the year. It was not reserved just for
Thanksgiving time.
Thanksgiving is a transitional season of
change. This is the official time that Christmas trees are lit and
aglow in cities, towns and municipal places. Over the more recent
decades, it is the kick off to the major shopping days. It is noted
as the great travel holiday for people to gather with their family
and relatives for a large feast or humble table of shared food. It
has been called the biggest family holiday in America.
Communities, merchants, and corporations
put their best foot forward to be generous and caring to others in
need of food or a good meal. People have a heart to share and care.
They are more willing to give donations to churches, worship
centers, soup kitchens, and special agencies. Everybody seems to
want to be their “brothers’ keeper” or a “Good Samaritan.”
The media: television, radio, newspapers,
and other forms of communication, willingly promote “goodwill” to
all during the Thanksgiving season. You hear more and more about
food giveaways, feeding the homeless, and various events to help
others in tremendous need. Even celebrities such as actors, singers,
sport stars, political leaders, and other noted figures want to be
seen helping in soup kitchens and giving food boxes or baskets to
those in need.
Many want to make Thanksgiving that warm
and loving time. We want to think of it like that famous American
portrait painted by Norman Rockwell of dad, mom, grandparents, and
children seated around a large elegant table covered with plenty of
food. We want to see every head bowed in prayer and thanksgiving to
God.
FACING HARD TIMES
But, in our world today, we have great
oppositions and difficult times. We are living with problems of
every kind and on every hand. Jobs, health care, property taxes,
foreclosures, wars, cutbacks, and other dilemmas have captured us.
We have health scares that are rampant
throughout our nation. Terrorist activities and plots surround us.
We have health warnings to not eat this and that for various
reasons. The family is struggling to survive on every hand. There
are even scandals and shame in our churches. Sadly, most of us can’t
trust our neighbors. Even the best neighborhoods have strangers
living among them that make them very suspicious.
We are confronted with an assortment of
things that want to capture us in fear, depression and panic.
Problems steady pile up in our lives that make it feel like there’s
a gigantic avalanche ready to fall down on us to smother us alive!
Pressures and situations want to capture us until we feel like we
are seized by an enormous octopus who will wrap us up in his arms or
tendrils and squeeze the life out of us! Satan wants us to feel
captured. He doesn’t want us to thank and praise God when things are
happening to us.
GIVING UP ISN’T HARD TO DO!
In the Bible, we learn of the Israelites
captivity. They suffered. Pharaoh and the Egyptians were against
them. The Israelites became slaves. They lost their freedom and
lived under great depression, punishment, torment, and death.
In Psalm 137, we find that they sat and
cried by the rivers in Babylon when they thought about Jerusalem.
They were unhappy and bitter about life. Life was horrible for them
so they weren’t going to sing or celebrate anything. They hung up
their harps on a nearby tree and that was it! They threw in the
towel. They gave up! However, their capturers or enemies demanded
that those Israelites sing them a joyful song. How ridiculous! How
crazy of those capturers to ask for them to sing a song of joy when
they were suffering. They said, “But we cannot sing songs about
the Lord while we are in this foreign country!” (Psalm 137:4 New
Century Version) Yeah! What is there to sing about when you are
miserable? They wanted to be left alone.
I GIVE UP!
Recently, a writer I know, gave me a phone
call. It was great to hear from her. She is so talented and blessed
with many godly gifts. God wants to really use her in her writing
ministry. In her conversation, she shared many things with me. She’s
going through some rough times and having
to make some tough decisions for her life.
While listening to her, the Lord spoke to
me about her new book. I asked her how many more of them does she
have to sell or give as the Lord directs. Jokingly I said, “Did
you toss them in your basement? Did you give up since things are so
hard for you? Are they covered in spiders and their webs?” I
laughed.
“Well . . . I . . . uh . . . I took them
upstairs and put them in the attic. Things are too hard now.
I...haven’t sold anymore of them,”
she said.
“Did you give up?”
I asked. “Don’t do that! God has a
plan for
your life.
Why did you turn your books over to the spiders and dust?” I
chuckled.
“Wanda, you know, my granddaughter went
into my bedroom and brought out a card from my son when I first
published my book. It’s a beautiful congratulations card for writing
my book,” she said. “Oh, I
spanked her for going into my bedroom. I’ve told her not to do
this!”
“Dear friend, I know that you warned your
granddaughter not to do this, but I believe she was used by God to
give you a message to don’t give up. God wants you to keep going,”
I remarked. “God will use what
He wants to get our attention.” How old is she?”
"She’s three years old,”
she said.
GOD DESERVES OUR THANKS
Life is hard. Times are tough. It is
difficult to sing a joyful song with a heavy heart. Who wants to
work in the ministry when we are going through one challenge after
another? Who wants to sell books when your back is up against the
wall. FORGET IT!
However, we must remember The First
Thanksgiving. It is the reason for this holiday in America. History
tells us that in September of 1620, there were 102 passengers from
England who came on a small wooden ship called the Mayflower to a
new land for religious freedom. They were Christians who believed
that God was leading them to establish a new community where they
could worship freely. After sixty-five days of tossing on the sea
through ferocious storms, seasickness, terrible food, and no
sanitation, these Pilgrims arrived on the shores of the New World.
They worked hard to built their homes, but the tough, harsh days of
winter came and they couldn’t finish building them. The weather drew
worst with cold winds and high levels of snow. A flu-like illness
came and by the end of March, the next year, about fifty of the
people died. This was half of the group. Yet, God was faithful to
sustain the others. He sent along help from two Indians, “Samoset
and Squanto,” who were English-speaking Indians. They taught the
settlers how to grow crops, fish, hunt, and trap certain animals
that were beneficial. This was truly a blessing.
Late in the fall of that year, 1621, they
had a great harvest. Their health had returned and much progress was
made in the colony of Plymouth. Although life had been hard, they
wanted to celebrate and give thanks to God for all that He had done.
The Pilgrims wanted to have a festival.
They invited the Indian Chief Massasoit and
ninety braves to have dinner with them. It was a joyous feast with
much food. Before eating, the
Pilgrims had a special prayer of thanksgiving to God. Although they
had suffered so much, they thanked God for blessing them.*
Truthfully, it is hard to thank God when
you are in a storm. It is difficult to lose, lose, lose and continue
to suffer. Like the Israelites, bitterness wants to creep in. You
don’t want to sing a song of joy. Yet, like the Pilgrims, let’s give
God glory, even though we have suffered or are suffering.
HOW CAN YOU SING SONGS WHEN YOU’RE DOWN?
When things are too hard, you must will
yourself to give God thanks. When your heart is hurting and you
feel defeated, reach down into your soul then look up to God. Give
thanks for who God is.
David said, “Lord, I will thank you with
all my heart; I will sing to you before the gods” (Psalms
138:1 New Century Version). He committed himself to
give thanks to God. He made himself to become faithful to
give thanksgiving. “I will bless the Lord at all times:
his praises shall continually be in my mouth” (Psalm 34: 1 kjv).
Saying “thank you” doesn’t come easy. As a
child, we were made to say thank you to those who gave something to
us or did a kind thing for us. Parents, grandparents and adults
spend time repeating and repeating and repeating, “Say thank you.
Did you say thank you? Don’t forget to say thank you!”
Those two words don’t come naturally. We are taught to say it. We
learn to say “thank you.”
This Thanksgiving, we are in the midst of
great tribulations and many adversities. These are difficult times.
Our backs are up to the wall. All around us is perilous times.
However, don’t celebrate Thanksgiving
unless you are going to sing a joyous song in the face of your
challenges, hurts, problems, and failures. Give God thanksgiving,
praise and glory if
you plan to celebrate
Thanksgiving!
“Come, let’s sing for joy to the Lord.
Let’s shout praises to the
Rock who saves us. Let’s come to him with
thanksgiving” (Psalm 95:1-3a
New Century Version).
You may have tears in your eyes, but sing
and praise the Lord! Change your atmosphere with praise and
thanksgiving to God. Set the atmosphere with words of
thanksgiving. You will be lifted and blessed.
“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard
him, and saved him out of all of his troubles” (Psalm 34:6 kjv)
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
*Note: The history on The First
Thanksgiving was taken from, “Thanksgiving Memories.,”
a gospel tract published by Good News Publishers in Wheaton, IL. It
was adapted from Thanksgiving: A Time to Remember by
Barbara Rainey. c2002. Published by Crossway Books.
~Wanda J.
Burnside is a poet/author/educator. She is the founder and president
of Write the Vision Ministries and Media Productions International.
She also publishes The Lamp newsletter. She is the president of The
Called and Ready Writers founded by Minister Mary Edwards. Wanda is
a resident in Detroit, MI. You can contact her at:
wtvision@hotmail.com or
313-491-3504. Her website is:
www.thecalledandreadywriters.org.
|
