Thanksgiving message

The book Mayflower, by Nathaniel Philbrick, is a fascinating read telling the compelling story of the Pilgrims and their struggle to establish their new lives in the New World. It is a very spiritual read, as it shows how God's hand was involved in the intricate details of the Pilgrims' early voyage and colonization of America.

The Pilgrims sought to sail out of Holland in the late summer of 1620. Their plans were delayed and their initial departure was back by numerous problems, many if not most of them out of their own control. They struggled to find sufficient financing in time, some of their early leaders decided to stay back, others secretly sabotaged one of the smaller ships they had purchased, and other problems forced them turn back toward England on several different occasions. They didn't set sail for good until late fall 1620. By the look of everything, their voyage was doomed. They finally arrived in Massachusetts in December, just at the onset of winter. The first winter was harsh and took its toll on the new community - nearly half of all of the voyagers had died by the end of the winter. It would appear that many, if not most, of these lives could have been spared had they been able to leave Holland when they had originally planned to leave during the summer, allowing them to arrive with time still to prepare for the winter.

However, I believe that these delays actually saved them. Had they arrived any earlier, they would have surely been massacred by the area's Indians. Not long prior to the Pilgrims' arrival, several European fur trappers and other opportunistic adventurers had massacred several Indians and left a false impression that the Europeans were bloodthirsty savages with little regard for human life. When the winter of 1620 came on, the Indians retreated from their coastal habitations to hibernate farther inland and wait out the winter.

After the Pilgrims arrived, the Indians just decided to sit back and watch them, thinking that they would surely not survive the harsh winter. As they witnessed dozens of the Pilgrims die off from cold and starvation, they figured their prediction was true and that by spring all would be dead. However, this protracted time allowed them to watch and observe in close detail the Pilgrims' demeanor. After a while the Indians came to realize that this was a different type of people - a peaceful people whom the Indians could trust. After a while the Indians and Pilgrims made contact and established peaceful relations - relations that would eventually save the Pilgrims from otherwise imminent extinction.

Had the Pilgrims arrived in the New World any sooner, before the Indians had retired for the winter, the Indians most likely would have attacked and killed all of the Pilgrims, sparing none. God surely had a hand in ensuring that the Pilgrims did not arrive too early.

This story has always reminded me that, although things in life may not happen how I plan and expect them to happen, God has a greater purpose and greater knowledge. I must make a plan and decision and move forward with it, but realize that God may have other plans. I must proceed with faith and realize that life sometimes requires stepping into the darkness, not seeing farther ahead than just my next step.

FYI, the author of the book Nathaniel Philbrick will speak at the BYU Tuesday devotional on November 6, 2007 at 11:05 am. I am sure it will be a very worthwhile speech to listen to if you get a chance. It will be broadcast live on KBYU-TV as well as KBYU-FM radio.