There are comparatively few mountain top experiences in the life of the believer.

Instead, much of life is spent in the valleys.

It is in the valleys where God lets us experience difficulties and hardships.  And in those difficulties we find out what we are really like.

We find out how sinful we really are and of our great need for a redeemer.

While we may be surprised by our sin, God is not.

God opens our eyes to our sin and uses it to teach us more about ourselves and of our great need for humility, grace, and repentance.

“The gospel is this: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope,” writes author and pastor Timothy Keller.

After traveling through a particularly deep valley, God may lead us to a mountaintop. It is a time for refreshment and enjoyment. But God is too kind to leave us there for long.  We have another valley to traverse, and He has more to show us about our hearts.  
  By a contributing blogger, David Mueller

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   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Whether you had an enjoyable Christmas or not, there can be a feeling of a 'let down' after Christmas for many individuals.





It is important to up your game on self-care to help during this time!

The best things that you can do is:

Positive self-talk- tell yourself over and over that you are okay

Slow deep cleansing breaths 

Walk outside and get fresh air, exercise and sunshine- yes- even if it is cold

Drink more water

Seek support/ reach out to others and do not isolate yourself

List your passions in life - and then write down small steps to work on pursuing them

Get adequate sleep

Pray

Start a gratitude journal

Stay active with exercise and/ or relaxing activities such as reading or drawing 

Have a sense of humor

Join a support group or small group at church

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

2018 is almost upon us.  Many people use the new year to commit to making changes in their lives.

They may resolve to show up at the gym everyday.  They may resolve to eat less or better, learn a new language, or get out of debt and save more money.

Many of these resolutions are commendable.  But many of them are unachievable.

They are unachievable because they are too big.  We start down the path of doing them only to find out they take far too much time and effort to implement.

They fall by the wayside within days or weeks of first implementing them.

But there is a way to achieve big goals and that is to break them down into small, measurable, achievable parts.

Small changes add up over time and become big changes.

The big goal of the alcoholic is to stop drinking and stay sober the rest of his life.  But that is overwhelming especially for the alcoholic who has been struggling for years.  

But the goal becomes more realistic if the alcoholic stops thinking about the rest of his life, the next year, or the next month and instead focuses on getting through the next minute, the next hour, or just today.

Small consistent victories add up to big victories over time.

If there is a big change that you want to make this year, start by breaking it down into small parts and make it your goal to achieve those small parts.  When you achieve the first part go onto the second part and finish that.  Keep achieving the small parts until the big goal is achieved.   

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Have you ever wondered why God allows some things to happen? 


Have you ever gotten upset with God? 

Do you ever think to yourself- but why God?

If so, you are not alone. 

It is normal to think this way, especially if you are going through a difficult time.  

My personal interpretation of God's Word is that we live in an imperfect world, there is sin and God gives us free free will.   

Further, the Bible tell us the following:

  And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.Romans 8:28New International Version (NIV)

 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. — Genesis 50:20 NIV

I know it is difficult but we need to trust in God's promises.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples. (John 15:5-8, MSG)

After setting the table for Christmas dinner, I thought some Christmas greenery on the table would add some beauty.

At the end of the table I laid some branches that I’d cut off from the base of the tree when I attached the tree stand.

While the tree has had water over the last few weeks, these branches have had no water.  They are dry and will soon be crispy fuel for the fire.

Whatever beauty these branches added to the table, they did so because they remained faithfully attached to the trunk until they were cut off.

As Christians, we don’t necessarily like to be reminded that our sanctification rests entirely with the power of God.

We like to believe that we play some independent part.

But the hard truth is that Christ said, “I am the vine; you are the branches.”  And lest there be any misunderstanding, He add, “apart from me you can do nothing.”

Life flows through the vine and nourishes the branches and the fruit.

Barbara DuGuid writes, “Indeed, a key part of that maturing fruit is itself an ever-deepening awareness of the branch’s utter dependence upon the vine moment by moment.”

The Holy Spirit works in the life of the believer on His own time table and in His own way.  Without the constant sustaining power of the Holy Spirit, Christians would have no power to obey in even the smallest thing.

In some people, God is pleased to produce much fruit and in others, seemingly little.

Wherever the Christian is on the path of sanctification, the Christian remains utterly dependent upon God for that work.

We have this promise from Philippians, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”
 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

If you take a good look at the individuals who are making a difference in the lives of others, it can usually be traced to them having experienced something unfortunate in their own lives which prompted their efforts.

They want to make a positive difference with what they have endured and in some cases they want to make things better in our fallen world in the memory of someone that they lost.

Most of us have faced some type of hardship in our lives. It could be the pain of a broken relationship. It could be the pain of someone hurting our feelings or rejecting us. It could be any disappointment, an illness, or a great loss. It could be emotional or physical pain.

Have you ever thought about finding purpose in your pain and how that would look for you? 

Finding purpose in your pain will look different to different people. Pain and brokenness will be different things to different people as well.

Your purpose could be a realization that you discovered about yourself,  to..........helping someone else with what you have been through. 

Allow yourself to be a victim, to grieve, and to be hurt and upset over what you have endured. Give yourself time to get through the pain. Seek help from others if you feel that you need it.

We need each other. Let people help lift you back up. 

Then, ask yourself if you are going to stay a victim or learn from the pain and turn it into some purpose. Look to learn from the experience and to grow from it.  

Further, try not to judge others when they suffer. Try not to compare or minimize what they see as a difficultly.  

I want to encourage you to be kind and compassionate to others who are going through a difficult time and to also try to turn your pain into purpose in some way.

Further, it is important to remember to allow others and / or you time after a trauma or disappointment before normalcy can be demonstrated again. It may be a new normalcy.

I used to stress out and get anxiety when I experienced a difficult situation. Now, I may get sad or upset because I am human. 

However, then I pray for the Lord to guide me, grow me, and to use me with the experience. 

I hope that you can pray something like that too. I want to encourage you to make an attempt to find purpose in your pain and to be understanding and loving to others in their pain.   

If you have a relationship with the Lord, your pain could also bring you closer to Him as you seek His comfort with your suffering. If you do not know the Lord, I want to encourage you to talk to someone who can help you to get to know Him. 

If you already have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior but you do not feel close to Him because you are so hurt, I want to encourage you to go to Him. Give Him your pain. He loves you and He wants to take your burdens and help you to find strength, healing, and purpose from your pain.

He wants to take you from being a victim to living victoriously!      

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 1 Peter 5:10

Pain generates change. What will your change be? 

What will your purpose be from your pain?

Please share your purpose from pain with a comment to inspire others.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

How are you doing this Christmas?

Are you having a hard time finding hope in the world?

God gave His only Son to die in our place so that we, in all our brokenness, could know forgiveness. 

He came so that we could know what love feels like, real love – love that never leaves, love that never disappoints, love that is never betrayed. 

He sent His Son into a corrupted world to bring us hope.
 
Are you having a hard time finding peace? 
It doesn't have to be that way. 

You can have peace and find hope and know forgiveness through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here's a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask You to come in as my Saviour and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Bring peace to my world this Christmas. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right now and Christ will come into your life as He promised. If you invited Jesus Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life.

The Story of Jesus

"About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was the governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David's hometown, for the census. As a decendant of David he had to go there. 

He went with Mary, his fiancee, who was pregnant.While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped Him in a blanket and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the hostel.

There were shepherds camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. 

Suddenly, God's angel stood among them and God's glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, "Don't be afraid. I'm here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David's town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you're to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger."

At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God's praises: "Glory to God in the heavenly heights; Peace to all men and women on earth who please Him."

As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the shepherds talked it over. "Let's get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us." They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. 

Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the shepherds were impressed.

Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The shepherds returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they'd been told!"  (Luke 2:1-20).

Reference
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/christmas/christmasstory.htm

There is hope and healing available for you! JESUS LOVES YOU!

Wishing you a joyful Christmas! 

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Many people feel lonely during the holidays. People can feel lonely even if they have loved ones in their lives. 

Others may feel lonely because they are in fact alone.

Holidays tend to get us thinking of family and most of us have lost loved ones. As Thanksgiving draws near, we start to miss our loved ones who are gone and it can be extremely painful. 

There is also pressure from society to connect and be with others during the holidays. This can make us feel even more vulnerable to feel lonely.

WAYS TO COPE:

Seek company. Attend a meet- up group. Go to Church and a small group such as Sunday School class to connect with others.

Implement Self-Care. When you feel lonely and down in spirits, it is important to demonstrate self-care or you will end up feeling worse. Get fresh air and exercise, do something that you enjoy, drink water, and eat healthy.

Acknowledge your feelings and explore them. There may be good reasons as to why you feel lonely as the holidays approach. Think over possible reasons and try to understand the factors that may contribute to how you may be feeling especially lonely at this time.    

Volunteer. Reaching out to others who are worse off than you can make you feel better in many ways.

Talk to Someone. Talk to a friend if possible and/ or seek counseling. It is helpful and healthy to talk to someone. It can help you to better understand and to get validation as to why this particular time is especially difficult for many people. 

Count your blessings! Think of what you are thankful for.

Pray! Your Heavenly Father is always with you and He loves you!

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. Deuteronomy 31:8

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure

Some of us are more prone to optimism, and others of us are not.

If you are not naturally an optimist, it is possible to change with some effort.

Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky says, “Even if you haven’t won the optimism lottery, you can shift your point of view by putting a concerted effort into changing your mind-set.”

She describes optimism as a "muscle" that you can learn to exercise.

Here are some approaches that can help:

1. Write down the things that you are looking forward to.
2. Re-live positive memories.  “Bringing up those positive memories can boost confidence, which boosts optimism.”
3. Get adequate sleep.  Optimistic individuals tend to get more sleep than pessimists.  
4. Write down your worries and then set aside a period of time to review them.  You may find that after a period of time that your worries will not seem as big later.

Instead of being consumed by negative emotions, figure out what you can do to change your circumstances.

You may not be a natural optimist, but you can work on becoming more optimistic by changing your outlook!

Source:  Better Homes and Garden, December 2017, pp. 134 - 138.

CLICK HERE For Living With Hope Counseling Facebook Page AND "LIKE" IT!

 


   Diane Davidson 
                               Gammon M.S.
         Clinical Mental Health Counselor

 Open Full-Time Days - Monday through Saturday
With Evening Appointments

615-556-8406

Email- Diane@LivingWithHopeCounseling.com

Sliding Scale Fee for Individual Counseling Sessions 

Free Support Groups for: Depression, Anxiety, Panic, Hopelessness, Trauma, PTSD, Abuse, and Grief and Loss (Including Miscarriage/ Stillbirth/ Infant loss)

Disclaimer- I am not a doctor and I am not giving out medical advice. My blogs are for information and inspirational purposes. Please consult your doctor before starting a new health regimen.

Diane Davidson Gammon MS is clinically supervised by Michael Loftis LCSW as she pursues  LPC-MHSP licensure