Community Updates from Dr. Bob: 11/22/2023
Thanksgiving is a holiday unique to the US and Canada, yet it can serve as a great reminder worldwide. It’s a time where people of every faith, every ethnicity, every language can practice gratitude with intentionality. Being thankful is essential for good mental health. When we take time to appreciate what we have, we experience a sense of well-being. It’s so easy to focus on what we don’t have and take for granted what we do have.
Here at Community Church Rancho, I encourage each one of you to reflect on what we do have. Think individually first, then think of us as a congregation, listing as many things as you can to be grateful for. I think you’ll be surprised at how many there are. Gratitude, practiced well, points us to God, for so much of what we have has not come to us through our own efforts or good works, but simply as undeserved blessings from the hand of God.
If you are interested in ongoing mental health and spiritual formation, I’d recommend making this practice of thankfulness part of your daily routine. Even taking just a few minutes at the end of each day to reflect on what you are grateful for can put the world in a much different perspective than the one we naturally default to. And spread the word: tell others what you are grateful for and ask them what they are grateful for. You’ll be amazed at how this simple process works its way into the very fibers of a community, resulting in humility and thankfulness.
