Thanksgiving: A Day for Reconciliation and Healing

Happy Thanksgiving!

For those of us living in the United States, we celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday on the fourth Thursday of November. It’s a wonderful time where families come together, feast on turkey, and give thanks for all that God has done.

When we think of Thanksgiving, the pilgrims who came to America from Europe always come to mind, along with the grand celebration they had with the native people of America. But the holiday’s actual origins surprisingly go back to the Civil War.

In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln made a proclamation for all the people of the United States, including those who were fighting against the Union, calling on everyone to come together and celebrate the goodness and mercy of God.

The holiday was designed to bring together a nation that was badly fractured with bitter division and fighting. The war did not end until a year and a half later, but Thanksgiving still stands as a testament to the goodness of God and His willingness to forgive us and reconcile us to Himself.

Bitterness, divisiveness, and ill-will continue to be part of the human experience today, but God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that we might be forgiven, reconciled to Him, and brought into His family. I believe today is a good day for us to likewise forgive and choose to love one another.

Perhaps for you, the war is not yet over. You are still in the battle. But in the midst of it all, may we all take sides with the Prince of Peace and release love and forgiveness to those who are against us.

May God abundantly bless and keep you in His peace and comfort your heart, in Jesus‘ name. Amen.