As we approach this time of Thanksgiving, we need to pause and give thanks for all that we have been blessed with in our great nation.  First, I am thankful that the election is over because I thought it would never end.
Secondly, I am thankful for our nation and those that took the 9-week trip here almost 400 years ago on the Mayflower to avoid religious persecution and establish a new nation based on their belief in God and the rule of law.  Or, as it was written in the Mayflower Compact, “Haveing undertaken, for the glorie of God, and advancemente of the Christian faith and honour of our king & countrie, a voyage to plant the first colonie in the Northerne parts of Virginia.”
Many of the passengers knew that earlier settlements in the New World had failed due to a lack of government. The Mayflower Compact was written on board the Mayflower while docked near Cape Cod after arguments arose about whose laws would govern because they did not land in Virginia as intended.  
The settlers, some reluctantly, consented to follow the rules and regulations of the government for the sake of survival. The government, in return, would derive its power from the consent of the governed.  Hence, the compact is often referred to as the foundation of the Constitution of the United States. 
It was providence that brought them here and a miracle that saw them cohabitate with the Indians and tolerate the dreadful winters they endured.  Their alliance with the Indians and their perseverance to succeed launched our first Thanksgiving and the tradition that we continue today.
Next, I am thankful that the descendants of the Mayflower, our forefathers, had the forthrightness and fortitude to stand up to England, declare their independence, and establish a new government.  What an insurmountable achievement!  Now, over 200 years old, our government has survived longer than any other democratic form of government in history!
While our government has not only endured the test of time, it still functions legislatively, judicially and executively today.  The checks and balances first established in our constitution have allowed us to perform tasks, collect taxes, administer laws and justice, establish a military and operate a complex economy which provides opportunity to all who wish to work hard and contribute to society.
I am thankful for a nation that allows for freedom of religion while protecting us from “the establishment of a religion by our government.”  Even though we are starting to be persecuted for our beliefs by seculars who have invaded our government, my prayer is that we can continue this freedom, even while those secularists use the “separation of church and state,” a clause which does not exist in our constitution, to divide us. 
I also look forward to the day when the sanctity of life will once again be honored before the secularists used the court system to deny the unborn their right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  I hope it will also be preserved when we negotiate the lives of the elderly and fragile.
I am thankful that we have rights given to us by God, but granted to us by the government, whereas we can own property, both real and personal, without the threat of government interference or seizure if we obey the law. 
I thank God every day for our military troops who offer the greatest sacrifice of all, “to lay down their life for their fellow man.”  Without their sacrifice, our life, as we know it, would not be possible.  Many have paid the ultimate price, so that we may enjoy the freedom that we share today.  May they rest in peace.
What a great country we live in and what a massive responsibility God has given us to care for it!  Surely, divine providence has intervened to bring our country to the status we enjoy today.  People perish daily trying to reach American soil from other lands to enjoy the freedom we take for granted.
But, most of all at this time of year, I’m thankful to be an American.   We have the task of being an example for the rest of the world or as Ronald Reagan so eloquently put it, “America is a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”  Happy Thanksgiving and God Bless The United States of America.

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