Gratitude in perspective: a global view on thankfulness
What are you thankful for today?
In just a few short days, we will celebrate Thanksgiving.WetendtothinkofThanksgiving as a strictly American holiday, stemming from the arrival of the Pilgrims aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and their harvest feast in November 1621, giving thanks to God after surviving the winter. However, the Pilgrims’ celebration had its roots in the harvest festivals once celebrated in Europe. Many countries continue to celebrate some form of Thanksgiving to this day. Here are a few examples, courtesy of World Magazine and 1800Flowers.com.
– In mid-September, several Swiss churches gather together for a 24-hour prayer and worship vigil in conjunction with the country’s official day of National Fasting and Thanksgiving. Local mayors and dignitaries also attend. The event ends with a large feast, as everyone breaks their fast together. Amid internal and external conflict, the Swiss day of National Fasting and Thanksgiving began regionally in the 1500s and became a countrywide observance in 1832, when their parliament decreed it. Although some view it as an outdated religious event, Protestants and Evangelicals in particular still observe this federal fast.
– In Nigeria, several tribes celebrate the New Yam Festival every spring between March and April, coinciding with the end of planting and the start of the harvest season for this staple crop. The festival, which is known by different names depending on the tribe, lasts for four days and includes activities such as selling crops and livestock at market, eating a communal meal from the new harvest, and attending parades. It’s a time for family members to reunite and spend time together. –Ukrainians celebrate Thanksgiving within the context of the Christian tradition, sometime during the harvest season. For example, Philadelphia Church in Kyiv celebrates Thanksgiving in late September, with congregants decorating the front of the church with grains, vegetables and flowers from their own personal harvests. The holiday is often marked with family gatherings and prayer services, including prayers based on specific symbols. For example, Ukranians give particular attention to a decorated loaf called korovai, which often bears symbols representing life, abundance and suffering. The loaf is a reminder of the Holodomor, a contrived famine that ravished the Soviet republic of Ukraine in 1932 and 1933, during which every breadcrumb was precious. At least 3.9 million Ukranians perished of hunger during the entire famine period from 1931 to 1934 under the Stalin regime.
It’s easier to be thankful when you are reminded of past struggles and realize how much bounty we have today.
– Germans celebrate the harvest through a festival known as Erntedankfest. Since there is no official day for celebration, festivities take place anywhere between mid-September to October. The festival includes church services, meals, parades and the crowning of a Harvest Queen. Rather than turkey, Germans feast on chicken and fruits and vegetables from the harvest.
Thanksgiving is an important reminder of all the labor that goes into producing our food. Our society today is far removed from the food production process compared to the time of our ancestors, when almost everyone was a farmer or a hunter-gatherer. Although we have machinery that makes our lives easier, plenty of man-hours still go into every glass of milk we drink, slice of bread we eat, and every green bean used to make that yummy green bean casserole — one of my favorites. A harvest festival is a good time to be grateful to God for the Earth yielding its harvest.
Thankfulness is not meant just for happy times when everything is going right, but rather it is an acknowledgment that even when life is not going well, there is always something to be thankful for.
Thankfulness recognizes that life itself is a gift from God and everything beyond that is just extra. It’s hard to always maintain an attitude of gratitude, but when you do, it changes you. The most thankful people tend to be the happiest people. When you are thankful, there simply isn’t room for bitterness, jealousy or resentment.
Thankfulness expands one’s heart to receive greater blessings, whereas greediness contracts. Thankfulness invites us to pull up an extra chair at the table — to build a bigger table, not a taller fence.
Just to put things a little in perspective: If you live in a household of one adult and make at least $35,000 a year, you are in the richest 4% of the global population and your income is 10.4 times the global median. For a household of two adults and two kids with an annual income of $70,000, you are still in the richest 12.1% of the global population and your income is 5.2 times the global median. I found an interesting calculator at givingwhatwecan.org/ how-rich-am-i, if you want to see how your household stacks up.
I can’t remember if I shared this one before, but it’s worth repeating: “If you woke up this morning with more health than illness—you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation—you are better off than five hundred million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting, or not attend one, without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death—you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
“If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep—you are richer than 75 percent of this world. If you have money in the bank or in your wallet, or spare change in a dish someplace—you rank among the top 8 percent of the world’s wealthy. If you can read this book—you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world who cannot read at all. So count your blessings and remind everyone else how blessed we all are!”
~ Mark Batterson, “If: Trading Your If Only Regrets for God's What If Possibilities.”
Have a blessed and enjoyable upcoming week!
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