- Feb 5, 2002
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COMMENTARY: God is present within every aspect of life, working in our midst. Gratitude flows from our ability to perceive it.
Merriam-Webster defines the word “thanksgiving” as “a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.” An alternative definition given of the same word is “a prayer expressing gratitude.”
These definitions serve as a stark contrast to the “grace” quoted in the 1965 film Shenandoah, starring Jimmy Stewart as farmer Charlie Anderson: “Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be eatin’ it, if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for the food we’re about to eat. Amen.”
Though the movie’s audience may be dismayed at the outlandish prayer uttered over the meal, a deep truth is revealed in this scene about the American spirit. At first blush, one might recognize the irony in Anderson’s quasi-blessing of the provisions made possible only through man’s cooperation with God’s creation; to many people, this is now an unrecognizable reality, marked by ignorance of the precarious nature of farming. When we lose sight that all we have comes from God, how could we begin to give thanks? Our prayer devolves into that of Mr. Anderson, one of self-congratulation.
Self-reliance and meritocracy have deep roots in American culture. It formed the psyche — and moreover, the spirituality — of generations, hallmarked by being weighed and measured by work ethic. The notion that one could pull himself up from his bootstraps to provide a “better life” was the cause of innumerous filled ships crossing the Atlantic in the 18th and 19th centuries. This outlook on personal economy and work ethic spilled into the spiritual life. Subconsciously, one is able to deceive himself that he can be sustained by his own merit, regardless of Providence. Self-reliance inevitably bears a child by the name of entitlement, a natural consequence from the seeding of the soil of ingratitude.
Continued below.
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Merriam-Webster defines the word “thanksgiving” as “a public acknowledgment or celebration of divine goodness.” An alternative definition given of the same word is “a prayer expressing gratitude.”
These definitions serve as a stark contrast to the “grace” quoted in the 1965 film Shenandoah, starring Jimmy Stewart as farmer Charlie Anderson: “Lord, we cleared this land. We plowed it, sowed it, and harvested it. We cooked the harvest. It wouldn’t be here, we wouldn’t be eatin’ it, if we hadn’t done it all ourselves. We worked dog-bone hard for every crumb and morsel, but we thank you just the same anyway, Lord, for the food we’re about to eat. Amen.”
Though the movie’s audience may be dismayed at the outlandish prayer uttered over the meal, a deep truth is revealed in this scene about the American spirit. At first blush, one might recognize the irony in Anderson’s quasi-blessing of the provisions made possible only through man’s cooperation with God’s creation; to many people, this is now an unrecognizable reality, marked by ignorance of the precarious nature of farming. When we lose sight that all we have comes from God, how could we begin to give thanks? Our prayer devolves into that of Mr. Anderson, one of self-congratulation.
Self-reliance and meritocracy have deep roots in American culture. It formed the psyche — and moreover, the spirituality — of generations, hallmarked by being weighed and measured by work ethic. The notion that one could pull himself up from his bootstraps to provide a “better life” was the cause of innumerous filled ships crossing the Atlantic in the 18th and 19th centuries. This outlook on personal economy and work ethic spilled into the spiritual life. Subconsciously, one is able to deceive himself that he can be sustained by his own merit, regardless of Providence. Self-reliance inevitably bears a child by the name of entitlement, a natural consequence from the seeding of the soil of ingratitude.
Continued below.
Grateful for Providence: Developing a Posture of Thanksgiving
COMMENTARY: God is present within every aspect of life, working in our midst. Gratitude flows from our ability to perceive it.
