Pressed Down, Shaken Together, Running Over. A Time for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving in America is a time to reflect on our blessings.
An off schedule post
This is an off-schedule post. That means something different or interesting is going on that warrants paying attention to. So, my friends, read on to find out more!
In America, Thanksgiving is a time to reflect and give thanks
In America, we observe a national holiday to reflect on our blessings and bounty. It’s celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November, and it’s called Thanksgiving. Typically, we will invite family and friends to our homes, prepare turkey and other side dishes, and eat more than we should. We’ll watch football or play games and enjoy each other’s company. Hopefully, before the meal, we pause to thank God for all the blessings we have enjoyed throughout the year. Some families will invite others to their home who may not have family, are alone, or need a place to go. Others will perform acts of service by serving meals to the homeless or less fortunate. Where I live in Tulsa, several restaurants will even open their doors and provide free meals to anyone who wants or needs one. America and Americans, for all their faults, are a generous people.
Interestingly, other nations celebrate Thanksgiving in their own way. Canada, Liberia, and Saint Lucia, for example. Other countries have similar harvest festivals, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Japan, Norfolk Island, the UK, the Netherlands, and Grenada. Others, such as Brazil, China, and the Philippines, celebrate unofficially or with similar celebrations (Note 1).
I think it’s a great tradition to stop for a day once a year to be thankful for all our blessings.
The history of Thanksgiving in America
As the story goes, the first Thanksgiving, although it was not known by that name, was celebrated during the autumn of 1621 between the Wampanoag Indians and the English in Plymouth, Massachusetts, following a successful harvest. On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln issued a Thanksgiving proclamation to unite a war-weary nation and set the last Thursday in November as a day of thanksgiving and in 1941, Congress passed a law establishing the fourth Thursday in November as the Thanksgiving Day holiday (Note 2). If you research the history of Thanksgiving, you will see conflicting accounts of this story, notably by Native Americans.
It's not my point to give a history lesson on Thanksgiving; you can do your own research if you want to —but to recognize that we do have a national holiday to pause and give thanks for the bounty we indeed have in this country. Regardless of what the past history may be. Regardless of how bad we perceive it to be today.
What does this mean for me?
If I’m not careful, it’s very easy for me to get in the weeds and complain about meaningless little problems, people, or issues that I do not like. However, as I get older, I am working hard and doing a better job of catching myself and redirecting my thoughts to what I do have. You’ve probably heard the little story about a person who observes a glass of water filled to the midpoint. He asks his companions if the glass is half empty or half full. The pessimist remarked that it was surely half empty because the upper part of the glass was empty. On the other hand, the optimist remarked that it was surely half full because the bottom contained water. Is your water glass half full or half empty? Reflect on that thought for a moment.
The title of this blog comes from the Bible, Luke 6:38, and the complete verse is as follows:
“Give, and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will pour into your lap. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
In this chapter, Jesus explains the characteristics of disciples and how they should live, often called “The Great Sermon.” If you are like me, you believe the Bible speaks directly to each of us. In this chapter, the disciples —and, in turn, each of us —are instructed to forgive others and to live in grace and love. Do not judge or condemn others. Forgive, now there’s a word; how many of us need to forgive or be forgiven during this season of thankfulness? I urge you, if you need to forgive, please do so before it’s too late. Never take anger or unforgiviness to your grave. Do it today. Give and invest in others, and it will be given back to each of us in full, more than full, in reality, like a bushel of wheat-pressed down and shaken together to make room for more, running over into our lap.
When I think of Thanksgiving, this is what I think of: I think of all I’ve been given. Life in America, the greatest country on earth. Ever. Health, food to eat, a job, whatever it is. And, it’s also a good time to consider, ponder even, how generous we have been to others. Giving isn't always intuitive, at least to me, but in my experience, this verse is absolutely true, and I’ve seen it play out in my own life when I’ve given unselfishly. It reminds me of what my wife, Diane, often says, “You can’t out-give God.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Happy Thanksgiving
If you live in the United States, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving, and I hope you are thankful for all the blessings we all enjoy in this country.
If you or a loved one needs to make some changes in your life to improve your situation, I would ask you to consider that this is why I put together the Afterburner Success Partners course and authored the book Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life! (Note 3).
If perhaps you find yourself struggling this Thanksgiving season, I again ask you to consider the words of Jesus, as you likely have more than you realize. Observing offerings given in the temple described in Luke 21, Jesus noted that the rich gave from their surplus. He then noted a widow offering her last, all she had, two copper coins, and proclaimed, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all of them, for they all out of their surplus put into the offering; but she out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” This story is called the Widow’s Mite (Note 4).
Indeed, “…pressed down, shaken together, running over…” All of us in America are blessed beyond measure, if nothing else, to live in a free country where the opportunities for each of us are literally unlimited.
That’s all for this week!
Pressed Down, Shaken Together, Running Over. A Time For Thanksgiving
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Check out my recently published book, Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life by David Giustozzi. Available on Amazon or on my website. See Note 3.
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Notes
Please note that as an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission on the sale of any of these recommended resources.
Thanksgiving, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving#:~:text=Thanksgiving%20is%20a%20national%20holiday,Australian%20territory%20of%20Norfolk%20Island.
Thanksgiving, Historical Perspectives. National Archives: https://visit.archives.gov/whats-on/explore-exhibits/thanksgiving-historical-perspectives
Achieve Your Dreams: A Complete Guide to Live Your Best Life! By David Giustozzi: https://amzn.to/3IxEFgy
What does Jesus want us to learn from the widow’s mite?: Got Questions: https://www.gotquestions.org/widows-mite.html