November 8: Thankful When Nothing Is Working
People keep telling you to be grateful. Today, it feels like there’s nothing to be grateful for.
“Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”
The car broke down. Money is tight. Someone you love is still angry with you. Your body hurts. The work you’re doing in recovery doesn’t seem to be paying off yet. And then someone says, “Have you tried a gratitude list?” and you want to throw something.
It’s fair to feel that way. Gratitude can sound like a cheap fix, as if you’re supposed to pretend everything is fine. That’s not what the Bible means by it.
Habakkuk lived in a terrible time. His nation was facing invasion. He knew hard days were coming. And he wrote one of the most honest songs of thanks in Scripture. Though the fig tree doesn’t flourish. Though there’s no fruit on the vine. Though the fields produce no food and the stalls are empty. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord.
He doesn’t say the fields are fine. He doesn’t pretend. He lists everything that’s going wrong. Then he says “yet.” That one word is the whole thing. His joy isn’t in the harvest. It’s in God. And God hasn’t gone anywhere.
That’s the kind of gratitude that works in recovery. Not gratitude for perfect circumstances. Gratitude that holds on even when circumstances are bad. You can list what’s hard, honestly, and then say “yet.” Yet I’m sober today. Yet God is with me. Yet I have a meeting tonight. Yet someone called me. Yet I’m still here.
On the hardest days, the list might be very short. That’s fine. One line is enough. Saying it out loud, even through gritted teeth, shifts something. It reminds your heart where it’s anchored.
If you use the Steps & Scripture app, the evening check-in has room for a line of thanks. Paper works just as well. Either way, write it down.
One thing today
Write down three hard things about today, honestly. Under them, write the word “yet” and one thing about God that’s still true. Read it out loud.
A prayer
Lord, a lot isn’t working right now. I’m not going to pretend it is. Yet I will rejoice in You. You are still good, still here and still my strength. Thank You for that. Amen.
Gratitude is a form of prayer in Step Eleven.
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