Deuteronomy 31:8

On that first Thanksgiving in 1621, William Bradford gathered with about 50 Pilgrims and almost 100 Native American friends to celebrate a bountiful harvest with a three-day feast, games of skill, and military exercises.

Only about half of the colony had survived the preceding winter – many succumbing to sickness and starvation. Legend tells us that on some days, the Pilgrims were rationed only five kernels of corn. Their survival relied on those small morsels of food.

As they gathered around the tables laden with venison and vegetables, Bradford shucked an ear of corn and meted out five kernels of corn to each guest. He wanted them to remember where they had started and what they had survived. Together, they gave God humble thanks.

On this special day of gratitude, look back and remember where you began and how God brought you here – the just-in-time job offer, the joy of your salvation, the word of confirmation, the check in the mail, His sustaining grace, the miraculous medical turn-around, the faces of your loved ones.

He was faithful to you in the past, and He is not finished. If He brought you from there to where you are today, He will take you the rest of the way!