“For though the fig tree blossom not nor fruit be on the vines, though the yield of the olive fail and the terraces produce no nourishment, though the flocks disappear from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet will I rejoice in the Lord and exult in my saving God.”
— Habakkuk 3:17-18
We have arrived at Thanksgiving Day once again. On this day, and even throughout the whole weekend, we are encouraged to take the time to express our gratitude and appreciation for all the good things and the blessings we have received.
But what if we feel as though we don’t have anything good to be thankful for? In a year that saw a series of incredible natural disasters, such as hurricanes, wildfires and earthquakes, and a series of unimaginable human disasters, such as shootings, bombings and renewed racism, there are many people who are feeling that this has not been a blessed year. Besides all that, individual circumstances may have many people feeling that this has not been a blessed year. For those who may find themselves in this position, taking a look at Habakkuk could be very helpful.
Habakkuk was an Old Testament prophet who lived during a time that was very difficult for his people. The nation was being threatened by outside forces, and internally, the people had given in to all kinds of evil ways. Habakkuk had gotten to the point where he decided to confront God as to why God wasn’t doing anything about the situation. If God was going to let all these bad things happen, then what was the use of staying faithful?
But Habakkuk took some time to reflect on his relationship with God. The passage above is toward the end of a song that he wrote about that relationship. As you can see, he concludes that even if everything in his life goes wrong, he will still rejoice and give thanks to God.
I think that is the key to making Thanksgiving the special time that it is; it gives us an opportunity to reflect on and appreciate the relationships that make us who we are, not just what we have received. For people of faith, our first relationship is that which we have with our God, for that is how we have come to be in the first place. God made us and gave us life, and that remains true no matter what events may go on around us.
This is also a time when we are encouraged to show appreciation to our families, which again, gives us an opportunity to focus on relationships and not events. No family is perfect, and there will be times when family members will not do right by each other. Even so, the relationship of being family continues, and this day of gratitude may serve to help heal any relationships that are suffering.
Who we are and what we have become are the results of many other relationships, as well. Some of these are people whom we know and love who have played an important part in our lives. Others are people we don’t know and maybe have never met, but because of the decisions that they have made in their lives, our lives have been affected in positive ways. That, too, has created a relationship between us and them, and for that we want to also express our gratitude.
So on this Thanksgiving Day, while it is good and important to show our appreciation and gratitude to God and to others for what they have done for us, it’s even more important to be grateful to God and to others for who they are to us.
Father Kenneth Taylor is pastor of Holy Angels Catholic Church and St. Rita Catholic Church. He can be reached at fatherkt@mailhaven.com.
