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Giving Thanks in All Circumstances
"It was a dark gloomy day in mid November of 1929 when a group of clergy gathered in a small New England church to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Day services.
Economic conditions were as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted to rock-bottom lows, and even though the term hadn't been coined yet, "Great Depression" seemed an apt description for the mood of the entire country.
The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of "thanksgiving" in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, they reasoned, there was not much to be thankful for.
But an elderly rabbi rallied the group. "This is not the time," he suggested, "to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving -- just the opposite. This is the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and to give thanks for the blessings that have always been present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship."
That old man struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are often not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound.
Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving...
Half their number dead, men without a country ... still they interrupted their "survival mode" lifestyle to offer thanksgiving.
Their gratitude was not aimed at what they lacked, but what they had ... and in the potential they'd been given for future prosperity.
It was that same sense of gratitude that led Abraham Lincoln to formally establish the first Thanksgiving Day in the midst of national civil war, when the list of casualties seemed to have no end and the very nation struggled for survival.
The Pilgrims ... the President ... the little group of no-name clergy ... they all were able to see past their present troubles and know there was blessing in the struggle. It meant better days ahead.
Perhaps you, in your own life right now, are suffering some intense hardship. Your own "great depression."
Maybe you've even made some bad financial choices causing you personal grief right now. Decisions you now regret. Like poor money management. A bad investment. A soured partnership. A failed business. Too much debt. Lack of retirement savings.
The list could go on.
You can either beat yourself up over past mistakes, or learn from them. And look forward to better days ahead. After all, your life is FILLED with potential ... and opportunities right now... if you only look for them.
Most people dwell on the negative of past mistakes, and that paralyzes them from creating a better future.
Charles Dickens stated the truth eloquently,
May you find prosperity -- and thankfulness -- in whatever you do.
The road to get there may seem daunting at times ... but we can all be thankful we have the freedom to walk that road together."
Our thanks and credit to The EVG Research Group for giving this important reminder through the stories of these parish leaders, Pilgrims and a President.
Paul, the Apostle stated it simply: "Give thanks in all circumstances." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
What circumstances are you facing, but in them, still giving thanks?
Giving Thanks in All Circumstances
"It was a dark gloomy day in mid November of 1929 when a group of clergy gathered in a small New England church to discuss how they should conduct their Thanksgiving Day services.
Economic conditions were as bad as they could get, with no sign of relief. The bread lines were depressingly long, the stock market had plummeted to rock-bottom lows, and even though the term hadn't been coined yet, "Great Depression" seemed an apt description for the mood of the entire country.
The ministers thought they should only lightly touch upon the subject of "thanksgiving" in deference to the human misery all about them. After all, they reasoned, there was not much to be thankful for.
But an elderly rabbi rallied the group. "This is not the time," he suggested, "to give mere passing mention to Thanksgiving -- just the opposite. This is the time for the nation to get matters in perspective and to give thanks for the blessings that have always been present, but perhaps suppressed due to intense hardship."
That old man struck upon something. The most intense moments of thankfulness are often not found in times of plenty, but when difficulties abound.
Think of the Pilgrims that first Thanksgiving...
Half their number dead, men without a country ... still they interrupted their "survival mode" lifestyle to offer thanksgiving.
Their gratitude was not aimed at what they lacked, but what they had ... and in the potential they'd been given for future prosperity.
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The Pilgrims ... the President ... the little group of no-name clergy ... they all were able to see past their present troubles and know there was blessing in the struggle. It meant better days ahead.
Perhaps you, in your own life right now, are suffering some intense hardship. Your own "great depression."
Maybe you've even made some bad financial choices causing you personal grief right now. Decisions you now regret. Like poor money management. A bad investment. A soured partnership. A failed business. Too much debt. Lack of retirement savings.
The list could go on.
You can either beat yourself up over past mistakes, or learn from them. And look forward to better days ahead. After all, your life is FILLED with potential ... and opportunities right now... if you only look for them.
Most people dwell on the negative of past mistakes, and that paralyzes them from creating a better future.
Charles Dickens stated the truth eloquently,
"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many--not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."...we give thanks for you.
May you find prosperity -- and thankfulness -- in whatever you do.
The road to get there may seem daunting at times ... but we can all be thankful we have the freedom to walk that road together."
Our thanks and credit to The EVG Research Group for giving this important reminder through the stories of these parish leaders, Pilgrims and a President.
Paul, the Apostle stated it simply: "Give thanks in all circumstances." (I Thessalonians 5:18)
What circumstances are you facing, but in them, still giving thanks?
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