That first winter after the Pilgrims’ arrival saw 60 percent of the 102 original colony members die of scurvy and malnutrition. And yet, no one deserted back to England on the Mayflower that spring! And by October of 1621, after a good harvest, they held the first Thanksgiving Feast, attended by 53 colonists and 90 Wampanoag Indians who had helped them through that first year. There were many miracles, small and large, and much to be thankful for in spite of the terrible hardship!

The theme of our great Thanksgiving holiday is gratitude to God for His care in the midst of the transience and hardship of life in a fallen world. Even the name Pilgrims tells us that – like the early Hebrews passing through a sinful world – they were “sojourners” on their way to “the city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:9-10).

We, too, are “pilgrims” on our way to the promised land. The purpose of life is not comfort, safety and compromise, but freedom under God to follow the leadership of our Lord and Maker in the great adventure of the Christian life!

The Pilgrims were on to a great truth. There is a much greater good realized in leaving behind the pursuit of comfort, ease and safety – “the things that were gain to me”, as the apostle says – in order to “press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:7,14).

The hardships – the death and decay and frustrations of this world – are actually part of our reminder of the perfection for which our great Creator has called us and made possible for us through Jesus Christ! Our job in this life is to let the light of Him shine through us. In the midst of all the fear, the deception, the lies, the half-truths, the hiding of truth, we have our mission to make that light known – “for the glory of God and advancement of the Christian faith” … as the Pilgrims said in the Mayflower Compact.

Eventually, the Lord Himself will “…destroy…the veil that is spread over all nations” (Isaiah 25:7) – the myriad deceptions of darkness like evolution and Marxism and false philosophies of all kinds. But in the meantime, self-government requires participation and adherence to Christian principle – just like freedom requires responsibility. This is what the Lord’s plan is for us in the present life – to work through our “earthen vessels”. We pray. We work. We proclaim truth. We proclaim the Word of God. Our involvement  is not only both the genius and labor necessary for effective self-government, but it is God’s will for “His created images” in the present age.

Photo: Replica of the Mayflower. (Unsplash)

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