Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-01-19
TRUE CAUSE OF THANKSGIVING.
By Rev. Percy Trafford Olton

By Rev. Percy Trafford Olton.
Bless the Lord, o my soul, and for
get not all His benefits. Psalms ciii., 2.
One of the frequent causes of our
failure to have the thankful spirit is
forgetfulness of past benefits. Con-
ceming tire past the majority of peo-
pie try either to forget 1t altogether
or they try to live in it altogether.
Both are equally wrong. 1t is not in
tended that we should live only to for
get, nor is 1t meant that we should
live only to remember.
The past is a book in which we re-
cord the experiences of our journey
and to which we can refer for guild
ance and comfort as we press on
through the unknown future. And
when the days travel happens to be
through barren and cheerless coun-
try, we should be able to turn to those
pages which record days of great
blessing when we were passing
through land flowing with milk and
honey.
But we are so apt to forget the ben
efits of the past. When we come to
the end Of a days journey and sit
down to enter its experience how
readily do we record the disagreeable
things-the disappointments, the vex-
atoms, the crosses that have been met
with. Somebody has passed us trav.
cling in ease and luxury while we
tramped on foot; somebody has spok-
en- an unkind word or has done us an
injury; somebody has gone by that
day with head erect and smiling face,
while we staggered under the burden
of heavy cross, with the pain of a
great sorrow cutting like knife into
our soul, and we pour out the bitter.
ness of our life on the pages of our
book of memory.
All that has not been as we would
like is carefully entered, and as we
sit there and turn over the pages Of
the book we find entries similar to the
one We have just made-records Of
trials and disappointments and hard
ships-and reading them it seems as
If there was no other soul in the wide
world whose lot could be more cheer
less and desolate than ours.
= We have no song Of praise, for there
is no melody in our hearts; we cannot
say Bless the Lord, o my SOUL" for
we feel that for us there is no special
reason for thanksgiving. Why is it
thus? 1t is because we have forgot
ten to make notes of the benefits.
Oh, the patience and long suffering
of God! Truly, He can say of us as
He said concerning the children Of
Israel: How long will this people pro-
woke Me, and how long will it be ere
they believe Me for all the signs
which | have showed unto them?"
He has led us step by step through
the wilderness; He has provided for
our every need, and yet we are con-
stantly doubling His wisdom and
SoouhesS, we VIII llot call 10 Telnell-
brance His unfailing providence.
Let us look back and see how great
and manifold have been the blessings.
There is no child of God who has not
abundant reason to thank God for past
benefits. If we will but look over the
past and count up some of the innum
erable blessings great wave of praise
and thanksgiving will sweep over our
souls, and out of overfiowing hearts
there will burst forth the song of the
psalmist of old: Bless the Lord, o my
soul, and all that is within me, bless
His holy name. Bless the Lord, o my
soul, and forget not all His benefits"