Thanksgiving

"The Pilgrim wanted liberty for himself and his wife and little ones, and for his brethren, to walk with God in a Christian life as the rules and motives of such a life were revealed to him from God's Word."

After a full day, I am able to sit down and quietly reflect on my many blessings. My hubby and two children are all nestled in their beds. The two table leaves are stored away again, and the dining room table looks beautiful with the little pumpkins, Indian corn, candles, and the beautiful flowers that my aunt brought to Thanksgiving dinner. I am simmering the turkey carcass, the kitchen isn't too much of a mess, and I was less stressed than I've ever been for a big dinner like this. (My thanks to Marla, the wonderful FLYLady at www.flylady.net.)

Yesterday, while waiting for the plumber and trying to dry out the wet cabinet floor under the kitchen sink, it was so easy to get discouraged. Yet, I couldn't help but ponder the life of the Pilgrims that first November in 1620. My "problems" paled in comparison to their daily existence. Such a risk they took to travel across the ocean and set up new lives in a new land! We have the freedoms and liberty for which they were yearning, yet we take them for granted. We grumble because our garbage disposals break the day before we are to host Thanksgiving dinner; yet they were eating poorly, living on a dank ship, growing more and more ill, and dwindling in number as the winter progressed. We plan and serve elaborate meals for Thanksgiving; and the Pilgrims were, at one point the following winter, rationing their food to five kernels of corn per person per day!

The above quote comes from The American Covenant, by Marshall Foster and Mary-Elaine Swanson. I was struck by the fact that the Pilgrims wanted liberty to walk with God in a Christian life as revealed by God's Word. It seems that nowadays we Americans think of liberty as freedom to do what WE choose. Some may go so far as to say that it's freedom from tyranny. But, this freedom, rather than being a wide open free-for-all, has a very specific command: walk with God. What do we do when we walk with God? We live a Christian life. How do we know what this Christian life is? It is revealed in God's Word.

Let's be thankful that we have such easy access to God's Word. Let us bathe ourselves in His Word every day. Let us strive for truly knowing His Word, so we can walk with Him in goodness and in truth. And for all for all of this, let us give thanks!

"The Pilgrim wanted liberty for himself and his wife and little ones, and for his brethren, to walk with God in a Christian life as the rules and motives of such a life were revealed to him from God's Word."