I love the history of Thanksgiving. This holiday truly tells the story of America. It connects the spiritual history of our country from the arrival of the Pilgrims in Plymouth, to the Revolutionary War and Civil Wars, and even to the Great Depression. The holiday we now celebrate teaches us so much about who we are and where we have been. Which always makes me wonder, why do we not learn the lessons of Thanksgiving?
Recently, I read a post by Steve Deuce that talked about the original sacrifices that the Pilgrims made and how it should be applied to us today. It made me think. Many of us know about the desire of the Pilgrims to have religious freedom and leave England to be able to have it. Like most of Europe of that time, England had a national religion. It was a time where the country went back and forth on the dominance of the Anglican church and the Catholic church. During this time there was a group of Puritans that wanted more reform in the Anglican church. For their desire to have a church more in line with the New Testament, they were persecuted. A group decided to flee to Holland where they had more freedom. It was here that I believe our modern church can learn a valuable lesson.
While they enjoyed their religious freedom in Holland, they were disturbed at how their children were abandoning their Puritan ways. Like many immigrants, the first generation would hold to their values, the second generation would assimilate into the culture around them. While this would include abandoning some of their English ways, it would also impact their religious views. It was at this point they would try something drastic: leave for the New World.
The New World was a dangerous world. The tensions between the Europeans and the Native Americans were strained. At times there was peace, at times there was war. Also, the living conditions were harsh. The Europeans would have to build new homes in climates not exactly like their home. They would have struggles getting food and establishing lasting societies. This was not a move like going to Holland. Instead, this was a totally new way of living without knowing how many would survive. In fact, some left without their families in order to prepare a home for them.
So why did they go? Many people came to the New World for a lot of reasons. Some left for greed, some were running from their problems, and others saw an opportunity to rise above their status back home. From all the writings left by the Pilgrims, they were different. They left to preserve their religious freedom, keep their children from being corrupted by the rest of the world, and to evangelize the lost world. It is the second reason I want us to think about.
The Pilgrims sacrificed so much because they were worried about the evil influences the world had on their children. The truth is, in a fallen and broken world, there is nowhere to be isolated from the impact of a sinful world. Sin has so corrupted the world, that even at times inside the church, there is the impact of sinful men. Christianity has never worked in isolation. We are called the salt and light of the world. We are to actively engage it in order to save some. No matter what we do, we cannot completely be shielded from the evil world. We have to prepare our children how to live in it while not being influenced by the world in order to save it.
At the same time, parents now need to be wise about the world we are raising our children in. It appears that every aspect of our world is trying to change the hearts of our children away from God and to wickedness. In this world, there is a certain percentage of politicians, educators, entertainers, artists, authors, social media influencers, and, sadly, CHURCH LEADERS who are have sold their souls to the ways of the world. They are not content in being disobedient to God but want to drag others along with them. Children and young adults are impressionable people who are easily led astray because they either do not have the experience or knowledge to know the dangers they approach.
Parents, grandparents, extended family, neighbors, and church leaders are supposed to know the dangers of this world. In fact, we often complain about them. Then we turn around and allow our children to go into these dangerous places. How often are we afraid to even politely confront that teacher who is teaching our children to follow the world? How often are we afraid to turn off that tv program, book, or video game that we know is having a corrupting influence? When we have a school system or a sports program that we know are turning our kids away from the truth, why are we afraid to look into alternatives? You see, too many adults are afraid of labels, afraid of being left out, and afraid of what the world may take, that we allow our children into the devil’s lion den.
Our forefathers risked everything just to protect their children the best that they could. Are we so far removed from them that we cannot risk small sacrifices to protect our children from the world? One of the many lessons of Thanksgiving is the steps that people of faith should take to follow God in our lives and the steps we should be taking now to protect our children.
Is your church preparing your children by giving good spiritual discipleship and education? Are they promoting true Christianity or are they promoting worldly living? You may have to start with finding the church that is going to give your children a shelter in the storms of life.
Is your child’s school and teacher teaching your children to be good citizens or are they teaching your children to follow the spirit of this world? If they are part of the problem, you have a duty to try to make positive changes or find a good alternative.
Do the entertainment choices your kids enjoy pushing them away from God? If so, then you need to be a parent instead of a friend and rescue them from their bad decisions.
These questions can continue in each and every aspect of their lives. What are you doing to protect them from the evil influences that are desiring to devour your child’s soul? It is the question you should wrestle with this Thanksgiving season. If our forefathers can travel, with life or death consequences, across the world to save their child’s soul, what sacrifices are you willing to make to do the same?
