Grateful Hearts

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For some of you giving thanks to God is easy because of the abundance of His blessings you’ve known this past year, but for many 2022 continues the hard times of the last few years and gratitude that is a real expression of your heart is difficult.

Giving thanks frequently receives short shrift when we talk about it, because we tend to give lip service to being thankful when we’re at ease in our circumstances or we may simply not want to think about our problems.

We can give (or hear!) moralizing lectures about gratitude. Giving thanks to God can also be discussed as a sort of magic charm to get God to do what we want Him to do—have you ever been told about the “power of praise”?

In our shallow treatment of gratitude, we skate over the reality of life in a fallen world. We fail to understand and acknowledge who God is—a good God in whom we can trust. In giving thanks to God, we are learning to hold on to God in faith in who He is and His care for us even in the midst of our griefs and bitter disappointments. When Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica about giving thanks, he was not writing to a church at ease.

“You also became imitators of us and of the Lord, having received the word during great affliction with the joy of the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.”
1 Thessalonians 1:6–7
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If you go back to Acts 17, you’ll find that a mob had attacked Jason’s house in Thessalonica, and Paul and Silas had to leave the city by night. Paul had suffered greatly in bringing the Gospel to the Thessalonians, yet in each of the first three chapters of his letter written to them a short time later, he thanked God for them (1 Thessalonians 1:2, 2:13, 3:9). He knew, and they knew, more persecution could come at any time. Paul, himself, was an example to them in giving thanks as he wrote:

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16–18
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Giving thanks to God in everything reflects a heart grateful for who God is and what He has done for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Giving thanks in the midst of hardship and suffering reflects a heart trusting that God will cause all things to work together for good.1

“And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”
Romans 8:28
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Gratitude gives us insight into our understanding of life, of other people, of ourselves, and of God. Even Cicero of pagan Rome recognized its importance and stated, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others.”2

Have you ever thought about the humility, dependency, and trust in God necessary to be thankful? Giving thanks is the fruit of faith in God, but we all have our times when giving thanks is so very difficult—when giving thanks calls from us an understanding and recognition of who God is that we cannot have except by God’s mercy and grace. He does not mock us in affliction by demanding our thanks for pain, but He calls us to trust Him when we are caught up in suffering and to live in gratitude for who He is and what He has given to us.

The original version of this post was a milestone for me. I wrote it in late November over ten years ago at a time when our family was flattened financially. Just before Thanksgiving that year my husband and I were dealt a double blow when both of us didn’t get jobs we had wanted, hoped for, and thought we could excel at. It was without a doubt the most difficult post I’ve written. I struggled to give thanks to God, and it was like pulling teeth to put the post together. At times I thought I would never be able to finish writing it. I also felt that if I could not do so, I would have to stop writing altogether. I did finish it, and the next year in early September I linked posts together to write, Journey Through The Storm, and I began my story of that journey with the post on gratitude.

I tell you this so you know I don’t glibly say these things. I want to encourage you to trust God and give thanks to Him whatever your circumstances. I also want to encourage you to encourage others who struggle. Be a blessing to them, and walk with them through their valley. You will be helping them have grateful hearts when their days are hard.

Let us honor God as God together, and give thanks.

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Waiting: ChristianPhotos.net – Free High Resolution Photos for Christian Publications (site has been deleted since original posting).
1I am indebted to Francis Schaeffer’s discussion of giving thanks in 1 Th 5:18, Ro 8:28, and other verses in the first chapter, “The Law and the Law of Love,” of his book, True Spirituality (InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove IL: 1971). He has helped me so very much over the years.
2Robert A. Emmons, Thanks! (Houghton Mifflin Company, New York NY:2007) 15. Dr. Emmons is not a Christian and I have my points of disagreement with him, but his book contains careful research and profound thinking on gratitude.

Copyright ©2012–2022 I. N. Carpenter

“Sweete And Gentle Showers”

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After their poor harvest of 1622, the winter of 1622–1623, saw people die of starvation and cold. A good crop was desperately needed, but a terrible drought lasting two months in summer of 1623 threatened their very survival. William Bradford described it:

“I may not here omite how, notwithstand all their great paines and industrie, and the great hops of a large cropp, the Lord seemed to blast, and take away the same, and to threaten further and more sore famine unto them, by a great drought which continued from the 3. weeke in May, till about the midle of July, without any raine, and with great heat (for the most parte), insomuch as the corne begane to wither away, though it was set with fishe, the moysture wherof helped it much.

“Yet at length it begane to languish sore, and some of the drier grounds were partched like withered hay, part wherof was never recovered. Upon which they sett a parte a solemne day of humilliation, to seek the Lord by humble and fervente prayer, in this great distrese.”

Think about the context of that day of prayer, the privation and death and loss they had already suffered, and their utter dependence upon God for help and deliverance. Edward Winslow gave this account:

“The most courageous were now discouraged, because God, which hitherto had been their [our] only shield and supporter, now seemed in his anger to arm himself against them [us]…

“These and the like considerations moved not only every good man privately to enter into examination with his own estate between God and his conscience and so to humiliation before him but also more solemnly to humble ourselves together before the Lord by fasting and prayer. To that end a day was appointed by public authority and set apart from all other employments hoping that the same God which had stirred us up hereunto would be moved hereby in mercy to look down upon us and grant the request of our dejected souls if our continuance there might any way stand with his glory and our good.”

Bradford wrote of God’s immediate and incredible answer to their prayers:

“And he was pleased to give them a gracious and speedy answer, both to thier owne and the Indeans admiration, that lived amongest them. For all the morning, and greatest part of the day, it was clear weather and very hotte, and not a cloud or any signe of raine I to be seen, yet toward evening it begane to overcast, and shortly after to raine, with shuch sweete and gentle showers, as gave them cause of rejoyceing, and blesing God.

“It came, without either wind, or thunder, or any violence, and by degreese in that abundance, as that the earth was thorowly wete and soked therwith. Which did so apparently revive and quicken the decayed corne and other fruits, as was wonderfull to see, and made the Indeans astonished to behold; and afterwards the Lord sent them shuch seasonable showers, with enterchange of faire warme weather, as, through his blessing, caused a fruitfull and liberall harvest, to their no small comforte and rejoycing. For which mercie (in time conveniente) they also sett aparte a day of thanksgiveing.”

Winslow wrote that the skies were overcast before they dispersed, and the next morning it began to rain—not a torrential rain that would have washed away soil and seed and flattened plants, but “sweete and gentle showers” that would have softly fallen into dried-out dirt and revived those half-dead withered plants.

“But O the mercy of our God who was as ready to hear as we to ask for though in the morning when we assembled together the heavens were as clear and the drought as like to continue as ever it was yet our exercise continuing some eight or nine hours before our departure the weather was overcast the clouds gathered together on all sides and on the next morning distilled such soft sweet and moderate showers of rain continuing some fourteen days and mixed with such seasonable weather as it was hard to say whether our withered corn or drooping affections were most quickened or revived such was the bounty and goodness of God.

“Of this the Indians by means of Hobbamock took notice who being then in the town and this exercise in the midst of the week said. It was but three days since Sunday and therefore demanded of a boy what was the reason thereof which when he knew and saw what effects followed thereupon he and all of them admired the goodness of our God towards us that wrought so great a change in so short a time showing the difference between their conjuration and our invocation on the name of God for rain theirs being mixed with such storms and tempests as sometimes instead of doing them good it layeth the corn flat on the ground to their prejudice but ours in so gentle and seasonable a manner as they never observed the like.

“Having these many signs of God’s favor and acceptation we thought it would be great ingratitude if secretly we should smother up the same or content ourselves with private thanksgiving for that which by private prayer could not be obtained. And therefore another solemn day was set apart and appointed for that end wherein we returned glory honor and praise with all thankfulness to our good God which dealt so graciously with us whose name for these and all other his mercies towards his church and chosen ones by them be blessed and praised now and evermore. Amen.”

In The Fast and Thanksgiving Days of New England, William DeLoss Love wrote:

“…it was a very remarkable instance of a most beneficial rain following at once upon a day of prayer, and its influence upon those reverent and believing fathers can scarcely be overestimated.”

After comparing the accounts of that time Love believed July 16, 1623 would have been the day of fasting and prayer, and July 30, 1623 the day of thanksgiving.

“It is also noticed that these days were appointed by public authority that is by an order from the governor as the civil magistrate. We believe they were the first so ordered in New England certainly we have no record of any earlier.”

Both the day of humiliation, fasting, and prayer, and the day of thanksgiving were appointed and set, not by the church, but by the governor.

As if this miraculous rain was not enough, after the day of thanksgiving—on the very next day —the ship Anne came in, bringing many of those from Leyden who had been left behind when the Mayflower sailed in 1620. What joy and excitement they must have had in this added blessing, and what gratitude for God’s providential timing!

Love had this commentary:

“What attracts us most in the story is the simplicity of the Pilgrims’ faith in the divine answer to their supplications. It was an experience which must have exercised a lasting influence upon their fasting and thanksgiving customs:—

“Famine once we had —
But other things God gave us in full store,
As fish and ground nuts, to supply our strait
That we might learn on providence to wait;
And know, by bread man lives not in his need,
But by each word that doth from God proceed.”

This was the Pilgrims’ first thanksgiving.
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Of Plymouth Plantation, An Electronic Edition, William Bradford 1590-1657 ¶: 231, 232. Original Source: Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646. Ed. William T. Davis. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908. Copyright 2003.
Edward Winslow and William Love references via Wikipedia from The fast and thanksgiving days of New England” By William DeLoss Love, Houghton, Mifflin and Co., Cambridge, 1895. Books.google.com. Jan 28, 2009. Retrieved 11-20-2012, 11-25-20. Poetry lines from Bradford, Mass. Hist. Soc. Coll., I., vol. iii, p.77. I’ve added paragraph breaks in all quotes for easier reading.
Rain on grass, adrian.benko: GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Copyright ©2012–2022 I. N. Carpenter

Corn, Capitalism, & Compassion

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The bounty of 1621 was followed in 1622 by a poor harvest for the Pilgrims as they tried their hand at communal crop-raising. Other woes made for a hard winter of cold and starvation. William Bradford reflected on the dire consequences and the disastrous effect of socialism, “the taking away of propertie, and bringing in communitie into a comone wealth,” on their work and relationships.

“For the yong-men that were most able and fitte for labour and servise did repine that they should spend their time and streingth to worke for other mens wives and children, with out any recompence. The strong, or man of parts, had no more in devission of victails and cloaths, then he that was weake and not able to doe a quarter the other could; this was thought injuestice. The aged and graver men to be ranked and equalised in labours, and victails, cloaths, etc., with the meaner and yonger sorte, thought it some indignite and disrespect unto them. And for mens wives to be commanded to doe servise for other men, as dresing their meate, washing their cloaths, etc., they deemd it a kind of slaverie, neither could many husbands well brooke it.”


And:

“So they begane to thinke how they might raise as much corne as they could, and obtain a beter crope than they had done, that they might not still thus languish in miserie…”

Edward Winslow had this account of their insight into the problem and their solution:

“This month of April [1623] being now come, on all hands, we began to prepare for corn. And because there was no corn left before this time, save that was preserved for seed; being also hopeless of relief by Supply: we thought best to leave off all other works, and prosecuted that, as most necessary.

“And because there was so small hope of doing good in that common course of labor that formerly we were in…Especially considering that self-love; wherewith every man, in a measure more or less, loveth and preferreth his own good before his neighbours’: and also the base disposition of some drones that as at other times so now especially, would be most burdenous to the rest. It was therefore thought best, That every man should use the best diligence he could, for his own preservation, both in respect of the time present, and to prepare his own corn for the year following: and bring in a competent portion for the maintenance of Public Officers, Fishermen, &c.; which could not be freed from their Cally, without greater inconveniences…

“At a General Meeting of the Company, many courses were propounded: but this approved and followed, as being the most likely for the present and good of the Company; and therefore before this month, began to prepare our ground against seed time.

“In the midst of April, we began to set, the weather being then seasonable: which much incouraged us, giving us good hopes of after plenty. The setting season is good till the latter end of May.”

And so ended their communal raising of crops. Upon assignment of land to each family, the Plymouth Colony began years of prosperity. The benefits were evident and undeniable. Bradford commented:

“This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corne was planted then other waise would have bene by any means the Govr or any other could use, and saved him a great deall of trouble, and gave farr better contente.”

In “What the Bible Teaches About Capitalism,” Rabbi Aryeh Spero had some insightful statements on the impact our religious heritage has had on America’s prosperity. while I don’t agree with all he writes, he has some things to say that are important to remember. After mentioning the Bible’s valuation of work and its benefits, he writes:

“The Bible is not a business-school manual. While it is comfortable with wealth creation and the need for speculation in economic markets, it has nothing to say about financial instruments and models such as private equity, hedge funds or other forms of monetary capitalization. What it does demand is honesty, fair weights and measures, respect for a borrower’s collateral, timely payments of wages, resisting usury, and empathy for those injured by life’s misfortunes and charity.”

These concerns of the Bible are in regard to how we work and how we treat our fellow man in need. These are qualities of character. Spero nails the “religious” left, who, in my opinion, isn’t very religious, but merely cherry-picks and distorts various Bible passages for its own end. He comments:

“Many on the religious left criticize capitalism because all do not end up monetarily equal—or, as Churchill quipped, “all equally miserable.” But the Bible’s prescription of equality means equality under the law, as in Deuteronomy’s saying that “Judges and officers…shall judge the people with a just judgment: Do not…favor one over the other.” Nowhere does the Bible refer to a utopian equality that is contrary to human nature and has never been achieved.”

The “religious” left at times attempts to justify socialism by dragging out verses from the fourth chapter of the New Testament book of Acts on early Christians having all things in common and giving their land sale proceeds to the apostles for the care of the needy. Their actions, however, proceeded from their hearts, and it’s clear these acts were done voluntarily and without compulsion. It was not an endorsement of socialism.  In Acts 5 Peter’s condemnation of a couple was because they lied to God, not for refusing to sell and give what was theirs. Peter said:

“While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not under your control? Why is it that you have conceived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
Acts 5:4
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Spero states:

“The motive of capitalism’s detractors is a quest for their own power and an envy of those who have more money. But envy is a cardinal sin and something that ought not to be.

“God begins the Ten Commandments with “I am the Lord your God” and concludes with “Thou shalt not envy your neighbor, not for his wife, nor his house, nor for any of his holdings.” Envy is corrosive to the individual and to those societies that embrace it. Nations that throw over capitalism for socialism have made an immoral choice.”

William Bradford left us this commentary on the folly of socialism:

“The experience that was had in this commone course and condition, tried sundrie years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanitie of that conceite of Platos and other ancients, applauded by some of later times; -that the taking away of propertie, and bringing in communitie into a comone wealth, would make them happy and florishing; as if they were wiser then God. For this comunitie (so farr as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much imployment that would have been to their benefite and comforte…

“Upon the poynte all being to have alike, and all to doe alike, they thought them selves in the like condition, and ove as good as another; and so, if it did not cut of those relations that God hath set amongest men, yet it did at least much diminish and take of the mutuall respects that should be preserved amongst them. And would have bene worse if they had been men of another condition. Let pone objecte this is mens corruption, and nothing to the course it selfe. I answer, seeing all men have this corruption in them, God in his wisdome saw another course fiter for them.”

The Apostle Paul’s comment that “the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil” cuts across economic systems and reveals the problem. The problem is the heart of man. Coercion by government does not change the heart, and a nation’s beneficial prosperity is not a work of government. The Bible’s commands regarding hard work and sound ethics, its condemnation of dishonesty and selfishness, and its instructions for compassion and care of the needy tell us God’s concern is with our heart.

The Pilgrims were probably one of the most, if not the most, disciplined, ethical, and compassionate (remember their care of the sick that first winter?) group of people to ever try socialism. If it ended in disaster for them, why do we think people far less selfless would ever be able to make it work?

By hard experience the Pilgrims learned the misery of socialism as it fostered discontent, laziness, and bitterness, and undermined their regard and respect for each other. They wisely understood that this misery didn’t occur because they hadn’t done socialism the “right” way, but because socialism brought out what was already within each of them, “that self-love; wherewith every man, in a measure more or less, loveth and preferreth his own good before his neighbours’.”

This biblical understanding of work and life, ethics and compassion, and of our very nature that the Pilgrims had in the earliest days of our country laid the groundwork for a beneficial prosperity that by God’s grace yet lingers on in America.
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Of Plymouth Plantation, An Electronic Edition, William Bradford 1590-1657 ¶: 216, 215, 216. Original Source: Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646. Ed. William T. Davis. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908. Copyright 2003.
Edward Winslow, Good News From New England, in The Story of The Pilgrim Fathers, 1606-1623 A.D.; as told by Themselves, their Friends, and their Enemies, Edward Arber, ed. (Houghton, Mifflin & Co., Boston MA: 1897) 575–577.
Via Jim Hoft: Aryeh Spero, “What the Bible Teaches About Capitalism,” The Wall Street Journal, January 30, 2012.

Copyright ©2012–2022 I. N. Carpenter

1621: The First Harvest Festival

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After that first devastating winter, spring brought deliverance and help, followed by summer and the bounty of autumn.

Spring 1621:

“. . . Squanto continued with them, and was their interpreter, and was a spetiall instrument sent of God for their good beyond their expectation. He directed them how to set their carne, wher to take fish, and to procure other comodities, and was also their pilott to bring them to unknowne places for their profitt, and never left them till he dyed.

“. . . The spring approaching, it pleased God the mortalitie begane to cease amongst them, and the sick and lame recovered apace, which put as it were new life into them; though they had borne their sadd affiiction with much patience and contentednes, as I thinke any people could doe. But it was the Lord which upheld them, and had beforehand prepared them; many having long borne the yoke, yea from their youth.“

Early autumn 1621:

“They begane now to gather in the small harvest they had, and to fitte up their houses and dwellings against winter, being all well recovered in health and strenght, and had all things in good plenty; for as some were thus imployed in affairs abroad, others were excersised in fishing, aboute codd, and bass, and other fish, of which they tooke good store, of which every family had their portion. All the sommer ther was no wante. And now begane to come in store of foule, as winter aproached, of which this place did abound when they came first (but afterward decreased by degrees). And besids water foule, ther was great store of wild Turkies, of which they tooke many, besids venison, etc. Besids they had aboute a peck a meale a weeke to a person, or now since harvest, Indean coree tb that proportion. Which made many afterwards write so largly of their plenty hear to their freinds in England, which were not fained, but true reports.”


Account from Mourt’s Relation or Journal of the Plantation at Plymouth:

“Our harvest being gotten in our Governour sent foure men on fowling that so we might after a more speciall manner reioyce together after we had gathered the fruit of our labours. they foure in one day killed as much fowle as with a little helpe beside served the Company almost a weeke. at which time amongst other Recreations we exercised our Armes. many of the Indians coming amongst vs and amongst the rest their greatest King Massasoyt with some ninetie men whom for three dayes we entertained and feasted and they went out and killed fiue Deere which they brought to the Plantation and bestowed on our Governour and vpon the Captaine and others. And although it be not alwayes so plentiful as it was at this tune with vs yet by the goodnesse of God we are so farre from want that we often wish you partakers of our plentie.“

Today we think of this harvest festival as Thanksgiving. While the Pilgrims were certainly thankful to God for the bounty of that year, the first Thanksgiving day officially appointed by a civil authority was in Summer 1623. It’s quite a story, and we’ll get to it on Thursday.
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The First Thanksgiving, Jean Leon Gerome Ferris: PD-US. This is the artist’s rendition of this 1621 harvest festival. The first civil appointment of a day set aside for thanksgiving was in 1623.
Of Plymouth Plantation, An Electronic Edition, William Bradford 1590-1657 (¶: 142, 151, 161). Original Source: Bradford’s History of Plymouth Plantation, 1606-1646. Ed. William T. Davis. New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1908. Copyright 2003.

Copyright ©2012–2022 I. N. Carpenter