Some day when I grow up maybe I can be as smart as Mark Batterson. This dude is brilliant and he had a great post about Thanksgiving that I wanted to share with you. Read what he had to say and I think that one line has huge implications in all areas of our lives. LEARNING HOW AND FORGETTING WHY.
Our Thanksgiving tradition traces back to the Pilgrims. And their journey to America was motivated for religious reasons. They sought the freedom to worship God as they believed the Bible taught. One of my favorite pictures in the rotunda of the Capitol is the embarkation of the Pilgrims. They are kneeling on the deck of the Speedwell. That is the ship they took from Holland to England. Then they hopped on the Mayflower. The centrality of the Bible is so symbolic.

Their journey to America was brutal. They spent 66 days on the high seas and finally landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts on December 21, 1620. Their first winter was harsh. 45 of the 102 immigrants died and were buried on Cole's Hill.
It was the next fall that the Pilgrims hosted a three-day festival celebrating their first harvest. They invited their Indian friends, including Massasoit. And in the words of William Bradford, "Besides waterfowl there was great store of wild turkeys."
So here's a thought. As you're eating turkey today, don't forget why we eat turkey at all. That tradition traces back to the courageous pilgrimage of God-fearing believers that landed them here in the first place. And many of the religious freedoms we enjoy as Americans can be traced back to the sacrifices made by those Pilgrims that first winter.
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