Being Thankful

Thursday is Thanksgiving Day. Thanksgiving isn’t just the day before Black Friday. It isn’t just a day to overeat and visit with family. Thanksgiving is a day to thank God for your blessings. I’ve often wondered how and why people who don’t believe in a Creator celebrate Thanksgiving. If you don’t have a deity to thank for your blessings then all you can celebrate is luck.

With the right attitude, it is possible to be thankful for all things.

300 years ago, The theologian Matthew Henry was robbed by a highwayman. His response was, “First,” he said, “I am thankful I have never been robbed before. Second, I am thankful he took my money and not my life. Third, I am thankful he did not take more; he could have taken my horse and my clothes as well. Next, I am thankful that what I had stolen from me really did not amount to very much. Then, I am grateful that what I lost, in time, could be replaced. But, finally, and most importantly, I am thankful that I was the one robbed and not the robber!”

We should all be thankful that we live in this great country. Granted, America has problems, flaws and issues but thanks to the foundation built by our ancestors, those problems don’t have to be terminal.

We should be thankful for our Constitution and the Bill of Rights. In no other country in the world do the citizens share the level of rights as we do here in the USA. Consider the Bill of Rights:

Amendment 1

Freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition.

Amendment 2

Right to bear arms.

Amendment 3

Citizens do not have to house soldiers.

Amendment 4

No unreasonable search or arrest.

Amendment 5

No double jeopardy or no witness against yourself.

Amendment 6

Rights of accused in criminal cases.

Amendment 7

Trial by jury.

Amendment 8

No excessive bail or cruel punishment.

Amendment 9

People get rights not listed in Constitution.

Amendment 10

Any rights not given to federal government are given to the states and people.

While some of these rights are being eroded, it is still possible for us to return to our roots. Be thankful that we have the opportunity to correct our errors.

Thank God for America. Thank God for your family and your other blessings.

Thank God that you have food to eat and even leftovers. Thank God that you have the resources to go shopping on Black Friday. Take a lesson from Matthew Henry and find the blessings even in your adversity.

Then, eat that Turkey and go shopping.

~ Averett Jones