Don’t Forget Thanksgiving!

A simple conversation revealed the sad attitude that many Americans have concerning Thanksgiving. The merchandising of Christmas has totally eclipsed it!

It’s that time of year again—Christmas carols, Santa Claus, crazy shopping, Grandma getting run over by a reindeer, the bright lights and the fancy decorations. We don’t have to look at a calendar to know we are approaching the ever-longer Christmas shopping season.

Recently I discussed this with a friend. In a conversation about the decorations that had been recently put up, I asked her, “What about Thanksgiving?”

To me it seemed a fair question. After all, Thanksgiving is a time when we can relax, enjoy a nice family meal and give thanks to God for the blessings He has given us. Her response, however, wasn’t quite what I expected:

“Forget Thanksgiving!”

A forgotten holiday?

Forget Thanksgiving? Why? What’s the problem with Americans setting aside one day of the year to be thankful for the many—and I do mean many—blessings that we have been given in this nation?

Sadly, much of society seems to feel the way my friend does. Christmas advertisements now begin long before Thanksgiving and continue in earnest afterwards.

What is the reason for this? The simple answer is greed.

Thanksgiving—though good for the turkey industry—is not a major commercial holiday focused on giving (and getting) stuff.

The Bible warns that in the end times people will be characterized by selfish attitudes. They will be “lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2 Timothy 3:2-4, emphasis added).

If anybody doubts that this describes today’s world, especially around this time of year, then go shopping on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving). According to BuzzFeed, 37 percent of Americans will go shopping on Black Friday. The website also says that 4,000 Wal-Mart stores are calling in extra security measures this year after problems with violent bargain hunters in previous years. This year, some stores will actually remain open on Thanksgiving Day (Black Thursday, anyone?) to capitalize even more on the potential profits of holiday shopping.

We need Thanksgiving

Should Thanksgiving be nothing more than an afterthought lost in the commercialism of Christmas?

We need Thanksgiving as a society. In the hustle and bustle of life, it is all too easy for Americans to forget that the blessings we have in this nation are from God! The blessings enjoyed by the United States are miracles that are often taken for granted.

The Bible says that we are to always give thanks to God (Ephesians 5:20). Yet America seems to find it difficult to set aside even one day of the year to really focus on being thankful for our blessings.

Do you remember?

Many in America have forgotten Thanksgiving. In the mad rush to go from the candy raids of Halloween to the presents of Christmas, the one national holiday celebrating God’s kindness to America has been sadly cast aside.

What about you? Have you forgotten Thanksgiving?

You don’t have to gorge yourself on a massive turkey to remember the holiday. But do you take the time—every day of the year, not just the one—to remember and thank God for all He has done for us?

Read more about the blessings God has given America in the articles “Who Are the United States and Britain in Prophecy?” and “Blessings of Abraham: How They Came to the United States.”

Joshua Travers is a member of the Athens, Ohio, congregation of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association.