Thanksgiving - a Way to Abundant Life

Thanksgiving - a Way to Abundant Life
Wu Wanhua
We are living in an age of discouragement and anxiety. We are striving for a better life; however, we have to admit that life is hard and painful. We become discouraged when we can not get what we want or when we finally get what we are looking for, only to find our heart is beyond the satisfaction. Then we may get into the state of self-pity that we are the least lucky dogs in the world. So how do we overcome the discouragement and live a life of abundance?
There was once a man who could be considered as the most unlucky man in the world. When he was 7 years of age, his family was forced out of their home, and he went to work. When he was 9, his mother died. He lost his job as a store clerk when he was 20. He wanted to go to law school, but he didn't have the education. At age 23 he went into debt to be a partner in a small store. Three years later the business partner died, and the resulting debt took years to repay. When he was 28, after courting a girl for four years, he asked her to marry him, and she turned him down. On his third try he was elected to Congress, at age 37, but then failed to be re-elected. His son died at 4 years of age. When this man was 45, he ran for the Senate and lost. At age 47 he ran for the vice-presidency and lost. But at age 51 he was elected president of the United States. The man was Abraham Lincoln, a man who learned to face discouragement and move beyond it. Did you know that it was Abraham Lincoln who, in the midst of the Civil War in 1863, established the annual celebration of Thanksgiving? Lincoln is a very good example of thanksgiving in all kinds of difficult circumstances. It is the thanksgiving that helps him get out of the discouraging state which in turn is converted to be a driving force for his greatness.
Anything can happen to us. Things are sometimes out of control, which make us lose the hope of life. It is easy for us to give thanks to good things that can bring us joy and excitement. But how about sufferings which seem to be unreasonable to be grateful? Sufferings make us really painful and discouraged. There was a great man named Paul in the first century AD. He said:“we rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope; hope does not disappoint us.” We can choose to complain when some unpleasant things happen to us. Yet choosing to complain can lead to a life of bitterness, hatred, sadness, discouragement and even despair. Then the situation will become from bad to worse. We can also choose to give thanks to the sufferings in our life because sufferings are the process to make us enjoy an abundant life. Abundant life is not so superficial as the material richness; it is a life living in the character of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. True love is to love someone who is not lovely; joy is exercised when you are in depression; real peace is a state of peaceful mind although the environment outside is never peaceful at all; patience grows when you are out of patience; kindness and goodness are tested when you are filled with hatred and unforgiveness; faithfulness examines your heart when others are all in deceit; gentleness is forming when you are about to be angry; self-control comes when we make every effort to do the right thing.
Abundant life is a life with blessings that everyone would like to have. However, the process is full of hardships and sufferings that intend to make us better so that we can enjoy the beautiful life as it is. The reason we can not see and enjoy the beauty of life is that our eyes are blocked by a wall of bitterness and complaints. We need to grow up so that this wall will not stop us from seeing the light of life. The hardships, troubles and problems help us grow to be a “taller” man. Therefore, if we follow the way of a grateful heart accepting and facing all things good or bad, we will surely enjoy the abundance of life.