3. Music

Music is a third unusual gift to be thankful for. We all listen to music intentionally or unintentionally. If you are reading this, you most likely listen to the music on Hope 100.7. We sing along to music in our cars because we enjoy the company, and it can keep us awake. Music can reduce stress and decrease pain. It keeps us involved at sporting events, gives us a means to worship in church, is used to sell us products in commercials, and keeps us calm in elevators and the grocery store. We teach the ABCs to our children in song, and we hum lullabies to put them to sleep at night.
One of my greatest joys is listening to my son play the piano, but we know God loves music too. Many of the Psalms command us to sing to Him, Revelation portrays the saints singing around God’s throne, and He created even the stars to sing (Job 38:7). God gave us something even He enjoys.

4. Diversity

Diversity. We hear a lot about diversity in our culture now, but what I mean here is just how very different we all look. I recently spent a long layover in a large international airport, and I couldn’t help but be amazed by how many different looking people there are in this world! Just in our own circles, we describe eye color, hair color, and face shape. We notice if hair is curly or wavy or straight and if a nose is Roman looking or pug. We refer to people as tall, petite, athletic, stout, apple, or pear shaped. I would guess there are hundreds more words we use to picture our individual differences.
Imagine what the world would look like without this gift. We would all look exactly alike. The world would still be able to function if we all looked the same, but God gave us variety and nuance and a look that is all our own.

5. Who To Be Thankful To

The fifth, the showstopper unusual reason to be thankful is that you know who to be thankful to. If you pay attention, you’ll hear lots of admonitions to be thankful, but rarely do they tell you whom to thank. I have heard people thank Mother Earth or the “universe,” and read that Thanksgiving is a time to thank our friends and family, to verbalize our thoughts about what we have. But we know that every good and perfect gift is from above (James 1:17) and knowing that and believing that is an unusual thing. Most likely, the majority of the people you work with or encounter each day do not know whom to thank.
Almost everyone reading this enjoys these gifts. They are not so much unusual as they are taken for granted. Make each time you notice something interesting a chance to thank the One who gave us not just everything, but every little thing.

For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7. 
God bless you. Stay hopeful!

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The post 5 (Unusual) Things to be Thankful For {part 2} appeared first on Hope 100.7.

Of course, we should be thankful for all those things, from candy and worms all the way to our families and our very lives. But recently I have found myself grateful for things we don’t usually hear mentioned around the table.

1. Humor

One is that we have a sense of humor. There are funny things that happen to us in this world. We tell jokes and stories because they make us laugh. We remember funny events for a long time (I don’t think my older kids will ever forget the rooster chasing their little brother through the yard) and will find ourselves telling them to our grandkids. God didn’t have to give us this joy, but He did.

2. The Seasons

Another gift from God is the seasons. This recent autumn was one of the most beautiful of my life. We did a lot of driving in October this year, and the colors we saw on the hills, the mountains, and just walking around in a park were so stunning. The green leaves, the rain, and the warmth of spring and summer bring an entirely different feeling than the chill of winter and the silence and the sparkle of snow. 

Each season showcases different animals and birds. The cardinal stands out in the white of winter, and the robin’s song gives us hope that the new life of spring is just around the bend. We think of bunnies and new calves and ponies in the spring and look for the tracks of deer and fox in the snow. Maybe you could say we needed the rain and the sunshine of the different seasons for life, but the beauty and uniqueness of each season is just a generous and unexpected gift of God.

I will wrap this up with three more reasons next time, but if you have an unusual idea or thing to be thankful for, please share it with us in the comments below!

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Start with prayer. 

You might already know that God did not design us for constant stress and anxiety. 1 Peter 5:7 says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for us.” Ask God to help you trust Him and turn away from worry. This past blog has five other Scriptures to help you remember to give your worries to God: https://myhope1007.com/what-to-do-when-you-are-scared-and-worried/

Consider therapy. 

There are many benefits to seeing a counselor or therapist, but one of the major ones is that they can help you identify what’s causing your worry or anxiety and come up with a plan to manage it. Talking through your thoughts and feelings in a safe space can help you see things from another perspective and work through any unresolved issues that may be keeping you stuck in a cycle of worry.

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Thankfulness.

Keep a running list of things you’re thankful for. Worrying can be overwhelming and cause you to lose perspective, so it’s important to take a step back and focus on the things that make you feel grateful. Make a list of all the positive aspects of your life – no matter how small – and review it regularly. You could keep a journal or keep the list on your phone so you always have access to it.

Form healthy habits. 

Worry can cause physical symptoms like muscle tension, fatigue, and insomnia, so it’s important to maintain an active lifestyle. Exercise releases endorphins that can improve your mood and help reduce the physical effects of stress. Take a walk or join a dance class; any kind of physical activity will help you take back control of your emotional state. Also, be sure to get enough sleep. Unhealthy habits stress your body and can aggravate or even be the cause of anxiety.

Look for healthy distractions. 

Worry often comes down to ruminating on things you cannot control or change. It can be hard to just “stop worrying,” so it helps to have something else to focus your attention on. Exercise, hobbies, or even just talking with friends can be a great way to distract yourself and create some distance from the source of your worry.

Practice relaxation techniques. 

One of the best ways to overcome worry is to focus on the present moment. Worrying about what might happen in the future is often a reaction to feeling out of control, so take a step back and try to identify what has you feeling overwhelmed. Once you have identified the source of your worry, envision handing those things over to God. Take a few deep breaths, resting in His presence. Train yourself to stop and do this every time you start feeling worried and you’ll start building new pathways in your brain that make it easier over time.

We hope these ideas help you live a less-worried life. Do you have any go-to anxiety busters? We’d love to hear from you!

For more thought-provoking topics, tune in to Hope 100.7. 
God bless you. Stay hopeful!

The post How Do I Stop Worrying? appeared first on Hope 100.7.