By David Hegg
On Oct. 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared a national day of thanksgiving to take place on the fourth Thursday in November. In the aftermath of Gettysburg, the battle that turned the tide of the bloody Civil War, Lincoln asked that the day be one of “thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens.”
Today, Thanksgiving stands as a uniquely American holiday, marked by grand traditions of food and family. But in too many cases, I fear food and football have pushed the giving of thanks to the margin, clearing it off the table. It’s time to recover this much-needed attitude, in hopes that it will shape our lives more than just one day a year.
As wonderful as being a democratic republic is, with its passion for liberty and individual freedom, it can also produce some dangerous attitudes. One of these is a sense of entitlement fueled by the growing expansion of what constitutes our rights. Initially, these “rights” were enumerated as “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Today, too many demand we agree with their personal definition of happiness, and applaud them in their pursuit, even when it is foolish and dangerous.
The problem is we have abandoned what the original authors of the Declaration of Independence intended their readers to understand from the words they used. Yet, authorial intent is, and always has been, the fundamental starting point in the interpretation of any written or oral communication.
Here’s what they wrote: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
First, they were using “men” as understood in ancient literature to mean “mankind,” so let’s not get sidetracked with some post-modern disparaging of our founding fathers.
Second, notice that the foundational “rights” upon which we have built our society flow from our all-wise, omnipotent Creator. Lastly, for our purposes, we must understand just what the authors meant when they included “pursuit of Happiness.”
Thomas Jefferson and the other authors were influenced by the philosophy of John Locke, often referred to as “classical virtue theory.” They adopted Locke’s famous triad — life, liberty and property — but substituted “happiness” for property. For Jefferson and the other framers, the most excellent “property” was virtue. Then, happiness was defined differently than today. It was not understood as a moment of joy or a lasting feeling of well-being. It meant the reality of human flourishing — a well-balanced, well-lived life that was the result of a virtuous character. We find corroboration of this in the preaching of Jefferson’s day. In 1773, Jonathan Mayhew told his Boston congregation, “The happiness of man consists in virtue, and virtue in the exercise of reason.”
In 1776, Pastor Samuel West declared, “True liberty consists in the freedom of a rational being to pursue his own happiness in the way which God has prescribed.” These sermons carried the moral understanding that the “pursuit of happiness” was fundamentally the “pursuit of virtue,” which honored God and served mankind.
Suppose we are witnessing the erosion of thankful hearts in our society, and I suggest we are. In that case, it is most likely evidence that we are becoming a people who selfishly demand that, in every circumstance, we be “happy.” But, if things have to be good for us to be thankful, we’ve lost the ability to rejoice in every situation that our God is with us, even in darkness. We’ve become a nation of little children who must have it our way, all the way, in every way, or we will cry, scream and pout.
Yet, it is not too late. As we approach Thanksgiving, here’s my challenge. Start counting the blessings in your life. Be thankful that the sun comes up, grandchildren exist and you have running water. Be grateful for those who love you, put up with you, and without whom your life would be much less rewarding. Try going through one day without opining about how bad things are and, instead, find something to be thankful about in every experience, and in every person you meet.
This week, our nation will pause for a day to celebrate our privileges and express gratitude to God for preserving our lives, families and nation. At least that’s what Lincoln expected. I say we put some effort into meaningful conversations and declarations of thankfulness with those close to us. If we’re honest, we’ll have to admit we’ve been blessed by our God, and by those who came before us. Let’s take time to be thankful, and maybe we’ll figure out a way to be grateful all the time.
Local resident David Hegg is senior pastor of Grace Baptist Church. “Ethically Speaking” appears Sundays.
