At the age of seven, a young boy and his family were forced out of their home,
and the boy was forced to go to work. When the boy was nine, his mother passed
away. He had a job as a store clerk, but lost it when he was twenty. The young
man wanted to go to law school, but had no education. He went into debt when
he was twenty-three, to become a partner in a small store. It was only three
years later that his business partner died, and left him with a debt that took
years for him to repay.
He dated a girl for four years and, at the age of twenty-eight, decided to ask
her to marry him. She turned him down. Thirty-seven years into his life, he
was elected to Congress...on his THIRD try. He then failed to be re-elected.
This man's son died when he was only four years old. At age forty-five, he
ran for the Senate...and failed to be elected. He persisted at politics and
ran for the vice-presidency at age forty-seven, and again lost.
Finally, at the age of fifty-one, this man was elected President of the United
States. His name was Abraham Lincoln.
And then, President Lincoln did a very unusual thing. In the midst of the darkest
day in American history, in the midst of the Civil War which claimed more American
lives than any other war, in the midst of great trial and tragedy, President
Lincoln issued the following proclamation: "It has seemed to me fit and proper
that [the gifts of God] should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged
with one heart and one voice by the whole American people. I do, therefore, invite
my fellow citizens . . . to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November
next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth
in the heavens."
Abraham Lincoln had a grateful heart. He knew, that even in the midst of great
tribulation and hardship, there was much to be thankful for. And he took the
time to express his gratitude to God, and invited the American people to join
him in giving thanks to the Holy One.
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