On three occasions at different times in my life I have been asked to create a timeline of all the major memories and events that I can recall…good or bad…from my past. This is quite a task as I have a lot of years under my belt! Each time I complete a task like this I seem to recall negative or traumatic memories more easily and more often than positive memories. Why is that?
According to WebMD, “Researchers say negative emotions like fear and sadness trigger increased activity in a part of the brain linked to memories. These emotionally charged memories are preserved in greater detail than happy or more neutral memories, but they may also be subject to distortion.”
I can relate to this statement. And it is likely many of us out there do too. It may be one of the reasons why there has been a trend for years to write down the good memories we are experiencing in a Gratitude Journal to improve our mental health. This week I did exactly that as I saw God moving in my life in several areas within a few days. Not only did I want to remember this in the future, but I also wanted to give thanks and praise to God for hearing my cries and responding to my needs.
One of the areas where God met me this week was in regards to Social Anxiety. The summary of events over three days are below:
- On 7/12/2022, I told my counselor that I have been struggling with a bit of social anxiety. In all honesty, I purposefully left it to the last 5 minutes of our session because I really did not want to talk about it. (Sorry, Kim!)
- On 7/13/2022, I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts That Sounds Fun with Annie F. Downs and she was interviewing Carlos Whittaker. They had mentioned that he too had a podcast on the That Sounds Fun Network. I was intrigued by their conversation, and I truly enjoyed listening to Carlos. So… I added him to my Podcast list.
- On 7/14/2022 while walking my dog, I switched on the latest podcast show on Human Hope with Carlos Whittaker. It was Episode 66 with John Eldridge. The title was “A guide for restoring your soul after a soul crushing 2 years.” It was about John’s book Resilient. And guess what…it was about social anxiety.
Each day God gave me one nugget in order to walk closer to hope and healing as He gently guided me to multiple conversations and resources to address the stress that I was feeling and praying about.
THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR HEARING ME AND ALSO YOUR PERFECT TIMING!!
I am so grateful for God’s nuggets. For the moments when I see Him moving in my life through a conversation, an event, or a podcast! I have written about this particular event in my journal and I know it will bring encouragement to me in the future when I read it again.
QUESTIONS TO PONDER: Please share your thoughts in the Comments Section!
- Do you keep a gratitude journal? If so, do you an electronic version or paper journal? Tell us about it in the Comments!
- How has recording what you are thankful for been an encouragement to you?
- What are you thankful for today?
“All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.”
PRAYER: Abba, Father. Thank you for hearing me this week. And thank you for hearing the prayers of all of us. Thank you for meeting us in our weakness so you may show your strength and glory. You promise to never leave us…that we will never be alone. Please allow us to continue to feel you in our joy and in our sorrow. You are our mighty Father and we love you. In Jesus’ name…Amen!
Hugs & blessings, Sweet Friends,
Stacy
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