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The Right Attitude

Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.  1 Chronicles 29:13

 

The Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth to settle in what became the United States of America can teach us an important lesson about giving thanks.

During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were made for the living. Seed, imported from England, failed to grow, and a ship that was to bring food and relief, brought instead thirty-five more mouths to feed, but no provisions. Some Pilgrims caught fish, and others hunted wild fowl and deer. They had a little English flour and some Indian corn.

Yet William Brewster, rising from a scanty dinner of clams and water, gave thanks to God "for the abundance of the sea and the treasure hid in the sand."

According to today's standards, the Pilgrims had almost nothing, but they possessed a profound and heart-felt gratitude to God for His love and mercy. Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian virtues; ingratitude, one of the most vicious sins.

Our English words thank and think come from the same word. If we'll stop to think, we'll be more thankful.

From, HOPE for Each Day: Morning & Evening Devotions, by Billy Graham.