Washington's Thanksgiving

Photo credit: http://rangerville.sbcisd.net

Thanksgiving is in only a few short days, and many of us are busy preparing the food, cleaning the house, and bracing ourselves to deal with crazy relatives. But in all the chaos, we can't forget the meaning of Thanksgiving, or the reason President Washington declared it a national holiday in the first place.

Washington's Decree

Washington signed a decree that set the day aside as a "Day of Publick Thanksgiving and Prayer." The decree was titled General Thanksgiving and it said that the day was to "be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

The History

Many thanksgivings were held before the day was recognized as a national holiday, and two hundred years ago, when colonies recognized days of thanksgiving, they were meant for fasting and prayer, not large amounts of food like today.
Thanksgiving in early days of America was strictly meant to give thanks to God and recognize all the blessings that He had given them. As time passed, the idea of thanksgiving and the way of celebrating it changed drastically.

The Holiday Today

Thanksgiving today is much different from the thanksgivings of our American ancestors. Instead of fasting, we feast, and often the only prayer is the one before the meal. While there is nothing wrong with feasting, we can't forget what thanksgiving originally meant. While we enjoy the food we have been blessed with, we need to remember to take time and give thanks to the God that provided it for us. We are blessed beyond measure to just be able to have a meal on thanksgiving and we can't forget that.

While you're enjoying the food and the company of close friends this Thanksgiving, remember to give thanks for your blessings and recognize Thanksgiving as what Washington meant it for all those years ago: a day to "acknowledge with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God."

Happy Thanksgiving!

Photo Credit: http://7hillscanvass.org/?p=94