Thanksgiving…Again
A few days from now, most of us will take part in the uniquely North American celebration of Thanksgiving. We will gather with family and friends and partake of familiar and comforting dishes. For some, however, there will be empty seats at the dinner table and empty places in the heart as we remember friends and loved ones who are no longer with us. As much as we attempt to make it seem so, Thanksgiving is sometimes difficult in the absence of our parent, spouse, sibling or child.
Thanksgiving is an interesting concept. In our culture, we tend to offer thanks or gratitude after someone has done something for us. More broadly, it seems as if there is a formula for life whereby we correlate thankfulness with perceived blessings. When things are on the up and up for us and when everything we put our hands on seems to work out perfectly, it is rather easy to be thankful.
What happens, however, when life throws us a curveball? What happens when, much like the season we’ve all experienced during the past two+ years, our lives are disrupted by something as small as a virus – something that none of us could control or predict? Quite frankly, in times like these, it is difficult to be thankful.
In the Judeo-Christian tradition, the prophet Habakkuk understood this phenomenon better than most. Through his writings in the Old Testament, this seventh century BCE prophet offers a glimpse of a very dire situation. Simply put, the permanent crops – the fruit trees, olive trees, and grape trees – yielded nothing. And then the annual crops – the wheat and barley – they also yielded nothing. And if that is not bad enough, the flock and cattle were all dead. In the midst of this horrific situation, Habakkuk exclaims, “Yet will I praise the Lord!”
You may ask yourselves how is Habakkuk able to maintain this posture of thanksgiving in the midst of one of the most devastating scenes from scripture. Better yet, how do we remain grateful and speak of a better day ahead as we are all trying to make it through one of our worst days ever? For Habakkuk, the answer was found in his faith. For us, the answer is also found in our faith.
Our faith journeys have taught us that the God who makes us walk through the valleys of the shadow of death is the very same God who enables us to tread upon high places. So friends, keep the faith! Know that the dry and desolate days that sometimes litter our journey shall soon blossom like a rose.
The word of encouragement for you during this Thanksgiving season is quite simple: even in the thick of the terrifying and uncertain moments of our lives, we can be grateful to God because of the overwhelming evidence from our faith journeys of when, where and how God has brought us through.
Corrie ten Boom, the Dutch writer who helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II by hiding them in her home, was noted for saying, “never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” In the unpredictable days, weeks and years ahead, may we turn evermore to that which we have known to be faithful, and may we muster up the strength to live through Thanksgiving…again.
Albert
