Depending on what stage of life you are in your answers might vary quite a bit. Some may need both hands to count all of the blessings in their life while others may only need one finger. In fact, I am sure there are even a few of you who may struggle with this question and feel as though you have nothing to be thankful for at all. Although I find the latter to be very sad, I do understand why as human beings we allow ourselves to feel this way. The good news is it doesn’t have to be this way. Each of us can find plenty to be thankful for if we slow down and examine our lives more closely. For me, I tend to struggle with finding things to be thankful for when I am depressed. Depression causes me to look at my life and focus on all that is going wrong. Depression also causes me to look at life selfishly. Sound familiar? Depression has a way of causing us to live in a ME centered world. Think about it…when we are depressed it is typically because of something that has happened that brings us great pain and sorrow. Maybe you lost a mother/father, are dealing with health or financial issues or have a child battling cancer. Problems so large you can’t seem to see a way out of them on our own. Guess what? There is good news and it involves a simple answer.

First: give your pain and suffering (in my example, depression) a name. Doing so will help you identify it more clearly. Why? A close friend and mentor of mine once told me that depression operates just under the level of consciousness. This means we usually do not even recognize when we are living in a depressive state of mind. By naming it you become consciously aware of your mood and feelings which will free you to turn things over to God and begin the process of healing.

Second: Turn your worries/struggles and pain/suffering over to God. He wants to carry these burdens for you but you have to choose to hand them over to him. In fact, you might have to turn them over to God 50 times a day until you begin to feel a difference. Doing this will train you to quickly recognize when you are holding on to troublesome areas of your life that God is better suited at handling for you.

So, what is Bob Hobbs Jr. thankful for?
• I am thankful God loves me not some of the time…not most of the time…but all of the time.
• I am thankful God is always teaching me compassion to be a better husband.
• I am thankful God is always teaching me patience to be a better father.
• I am thankful God is always teaching me wisdom to not sweat the small stuff in life.

Most of all…I am thankful God is always providing me with opportunities to help others. You know what they say about life…it’s not about other people’s need to receive its about our need to give. Try it…you just might like it!

Anyway, I hope my words have helped you in some small way. Have a safe and happy holiday season! Keep the faith!

Bob Hobbs Jr.

Copyright © 2007 Bob Hobbs Jr. & Associates