Yea, Though I Walk Through The Valley

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

The After Christmas Blues- Tips To Help Lift Your Spirits

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

Achieving Your New Year's Resolutions

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

But Why Lord?

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

...He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion...

 “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

Finding Purpose In Your Pain

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