A Fox News article about Thanksgiving reminded me of a key milestone in my faith journey. The article reports that Maryland public school students are taught that the Pilgrims held the first Thanksgiving feast out of gratitude — but not that they were grateful to God.
A number of years ago my wife and I went for a walk in the neighborhood. This was at a time when I was skeptical about the existence of God. Back then I thought I was probably an agnostic: I felt that there might well be some kind of deity out there, but I didn’t think humanity would ever be able to know, one way or another.
What I distinctly remember is looking up at an overhanging limb of a live-oak tree. Suddenly, I was struck by the realization that I was profoundly grateful for the many blessings in my life, not least that I had life.
And I wondered: Exactly to whom should I be grateful? Could one ever be grateful, without being grateful to someone?
That question, and others like it — plus a lot of encouragement and assistance from friends — eventually helped me to realize that yes, we can in fact "know" with some assurance that there is a God. (See How Do We Know There’s a God for a more extended discussion.)
(Hat tip to commenter Dan+ at TitusOneNine. And yes, I know the title is ungrammatical <g>.)
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