5 Things to Remember About God’s Calling and Gifts
Do you struggle to believe God has called you to use your gifts? Finding your purpose and calling can be a challenge. When it comes to calling and spiritual gifts we are often far more concerned with what we think we can’t do , rather than on what God can do. Discovering your spiritual gifts is part of knowing God’s calling for our life and trusting God in the process of ministry is part of a deeper life with God.
Consider these truths to grow in confidence that God has spiritual gifts and a calling for you.
“God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called”–author unknown . Identifying and growing in our spiritual gifts is part of God’s equipping process as we prepare to do the things He has called us to do.
5 Things to Remember About God’s Calling and Spiritual Gifts
1. You have a spiritual gift.
When it comes to calling and gifts we are often far more concerned with what we think we can’t do , rather than on what God can do.
Remember Moses, staring into the hot flames of the burning bush, conversing with God? God calls Moses to be a messenger, and Moses’ gut-level respond is to object, “Who am I?” He continues, “What shall I say to them? What if they don’t believe me?” (Exodus 3).
Next Moses brings up the reason why he can’t do what God has asked–I’m not good at talking to people–I am slow of speech. For every I’m not Moses gave, God responded with an I am–I AM who I am, I am with you.
It is important to remember there is a big difference between a spiritual gift and a talent. Talents are part of our personality, but spiritual gifts are the Holy Spirit at work.
2. When God calls, whether or not we have a gift is not the issue.
The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say” (Exodus 4:11-12).
There is a powerful lesson for all of us contained in what some only consider a children’s story. What a struggle it is for me to get this past my head and into my heart. When it comes to our calling and gifts, it is easy to focus on why we can’t rather than on how God can. We forget that He has promised to provide for us in the process.
3. Don’t give in to fear when it comes to spiritual gifts and calling.
God has not given us a spirit of fear, especially when it comes to using our gifts. Yet so often, some form of fear or discouragement can derail our desire to boldly answer God’s call. “For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Timothy 1:6-7 NASB).
1 Timothy 1:7 speaks to this timidity we can slam into when it comes to using our gifts. Every gift is from God—it is His and He takes pleasure in seeing His gifts come alive in the unique personality of every one of His children. Believing this truth releases us to us our spiritual gifts with joy and wisdom. Since every gift is God working through us, we need to boldly follow His leading.
4. Use your spiritual gifts.
It is so easy to get twisted around when it comes to serving God with our gifts. Easy to loose perspective that we are part of a whole. Somehow we get disconnected from the body with all its variety.
Our attention pulls inward as we compare our ability, evaluate our performance, measure our opportunities. Vision veers off-center from releasing our gift to the glory of God, and we find ourselves holding back.
5. It’s all about Him.
I have had many conversations with God about this over the last few years. One conversation made it into the worn pages of my journal–words stretched tight over timidity and discouragement.
5 Things to Remember About God’s Calling and Gifts Share on X
Child, remember this.
I call you and it is not because of what you have done or what you can do. Neither will it be inhibited by what you can’t do.
Each gift comes with My purpose and grace.
Know that I will show you what, when, where, how. You don’t have to make it happen all on your own. Dance in your gift through a partnership of faith, for it is…
My gift.
My calling.
My purpose.
My grace.
The responsibility is on Me.
Your job is to learn and obey,
Love and listen,
Wait and follow,
Release and rejoice.
Day by day and step by step follow me.
Follow me in your prayer, in your needs, in your plans and desires.
Follow me when I lead through others and when I lead through opportunities.
Follow me when I change your direction or broaden your focus.
If your eyes are on me, you don’t have to figure out what is next.
Use your gifts—discover and share.
Enjoy the process!
Let joy overcome fear because I am with you.
Do you know what your spiritual gifts are? Has someone encouraged you to use your gifts?
Get the Book to Discover More About Your Purpose
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Practical Resources to Grow in Faith
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3 Tips for Healthy Eating with a Positive Mindset
Get motivated to build healthy eating habits for health and well-being. These easy tips for healthy eating include your mindset as well as habits with food and nutrition. Discover how good you can feel when you give your body the nutrients you need to be your best. Join author, blogger, and fitness instructor, Ginger Harrington and coach, Gay Brownlee, for a conversation on practical tips for healthy eating habits for greater health and wellbeing.
The Challenge of a Healthy Mindset toward Food and Body Image
In our image-driven culture, many of us struggle with some toxic combination of body image, eating habits, weight, guilt, and shame. Constantly bombarded with images of ultra-thin and beautiful people in media, it is hard not to compare yourself.
Maybe you’ve seen the movie, “The Devil Wears Prada.”
Consider this conversation between Nigel and Andy:
Andy Sachs:
So none of the girls here eat anything?
Nigel:
Not since two became new four and zero became the new two.
Andy Sachs:
Well, I’m a six…
Nigel:
Which is the new fourteen.
Watch the clip here. Though we know this is a movie set in the fashion industry, I think it reveals much of our cultural obsession with size, weight, and body image.
My Personal Struggle with a Positive Mindset toward Food and Body Image
Growing up, I was what they call, “on the pudgy side.” Between fourth and sixth grade, I was sometimes made fun of because I was taller and heavier than most of the girls in my school. It was hurtful. Dieting and the desire to lose weight has been a part of my mindset since I was 12.
If you have read Holy in the Moment, or the free chapter, you may remember my challenge with Grave’s disease, which impacted my thyroid. What I didn’t write about was that due to radiation treatment, I no longer have a functioning thyroid. I gained over 40 pounds in a year, despite stringent eating habits in the journey to get my levels to normal. I’m very grateful for hormone replacement, but it is not the same as your natural body function.
All this to say, healthy eating and a healthy self-image is a battle I am well acquainted with. For the past 23 years, I feel like I live on a diet to try to maintain and not gain further pounds. Not fun. To be honest, I can get very discouraged and my mindset regarding my weight isn’t always healthy.
I share a little of my story to illustrate that our relationship with food, eating habits, dieting, and healthy self-image can get tangled up. For many, especially women, healthy eating habits often have a soul and spirit connection. A soul connection in that our thoughts, emotions, and self-image often intertwine with our mindset about food. There can also be a spirit connection when we struggle to accept ourselves as fearfully and wonderfully made by God (Psalm 139:14).
Maybe this doesn’t relate to you, but considering that two-thirds of Americans are overweight or obese and childhood obesity is on the rise, many of us can grow in both healthy eating habits and a healthy mindset about food.
“We define healthy eating as having a healthy balance of foods and having a healthy relationship with food.”
—anonymous
Your Healthy Eating Habits Matter
Food is fuel for our bodies, but much of the food we eat does not serve our bodies well.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, “Unhealthy diet contributes to approximately 678,000 deaths each year in the U.S., due to nutrition- and obesity-related diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and type 2 diabetes.” This is a sobering statistic that impacts all of us, either directly or for a friend or family member.
Regardless of the number on the scale, the size of our clothes, or how we feel about our looks, healthy eating habits are important for all of us. A lifestyle of healthy eating habits and a healthy mindset empower us to feel good, fuel our bodies, and support our health. Watch the video for helpful tips to cultivate healthy eating habits for your body and soul.
Join The Wellness Challenge
Discover how good you can feel with7 days of health-focused emails from Ginger. Each one is packed with motivation, information, and tips to help you build consistent habits of heath. Focus on consistent, simple practices to experience greater well-being. Healthy looks great on you! Join hundreds of women and get started with The Wellness Challenge today.
Meet Health Coach Gay Brownlee
As a health coach, Gay specializes in helping people lose weight and build optimal health for the past 14 years. In this video, Gay shares how she got started on her wellness journey as well as powerful lessons and mindset shifts that create a healthy relationship with food.
The most powerful change of perspective is to stop thinking of healthy eating as a life of restriction and deprivation–especially if your goal is weight loss. Gay shares how learning to think of good eating habits as freedom to choose to feel good and increase our health. For me, this has been a game-changer. She has helped me reframe my thinking from a deprivation, missing-out, “diet” mindset, to focusing on a lifetime of habits of health. I hope you will be encouraged by our conversation as well!
We chatted about several important mindset changes that are vital to healthy eating as a lifetime journey, focusing on progress rather than obsessing over perfection. Set boundaries with foods you enjoy but don’t support good health, rather than eliminate completely from your diet. After all, nothing stirs up a craving for chocolate cake more than telling yourself you can’t ever eat that favored food again. Learning to rethink guilt and shame about food choices can help us develop a healthy relationship with food for a lifetime.
“Healthy eating is a way of life, so it’s important to establish routines that are simple, realistic, and ultimately livable.” Horace
Key Points for Health Eating and a Positive Mindset with Food
- A healthy life includes your body, soul, and spirit.
- Eating isn’t only about what you put in your mouth, but also how you think healthy eating,
- Many people struggle with a healthy mindset about body image and relationship with food.
- See healthy eating as freedom to feel your best rather than a lifestyle of restriction.
- Remember what you really want for the long-term rather than a passing desire of the moment.
- Eat to regulate blood sugar for good health and weight loss.
- Eat small meals often to sustain energy and experience less cravings.
- Choose carbohydrates on the lower end of the Glycemic Index.
- Pair carbohydrates with protein to regulate blood sugar.
- Develop micro habits to set yourself up for success and limit temptation.
- Healthy eating and weight loss are a journey based on our daily choices.
- Give yourself grace and focus on a lifestyle of health by celebrating progress over perfection.
What helps you cultivate healthy eating habits for your body as well as your mind and emotions? Leave a comment to share what helps you. It may be just the tip someone needs today. Click here to watch now.
Links Mentioned in the Broadcast
- Ginger’s book, Holy in the Moment (amazon affiliate link at no cost to you)
- Sign Up for The Wellness Project
- Get Ginger’s Newsletter and Access to the Subscriber Library
- Gay Brownlee’s Website
- Connect with Gay Brownlee on Facebook:
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The Wellness Challenge Blog Posts
Although this is a free email series, read a few related blog posts to get motivated to build healthy habits.
- 28 Motivating Quotes to Build Healthy Habits this Year
- Why Positive Thinking is Good for a Healthy Body, Soul, and Spirit
*The contents of this website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on gingerharrington.com are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
26 Short Quotes on Love + Free Printable Pack
Get creative with this fun collection of short quotes on love to inspire your heart. Free printable quotes on love make a great gifts and crafts for Valentine’s Day, weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays. Download the free pack of inspiring love quotes to print individual pages for framing or select the smaller versions to tuck into a card, paste in a journal, or share with a friend. Be creative . . . and share the love!
Quotes on Love Inspire Us
Love is our deepest need and greatest gift.
In the busyness of our days, we all need a little nudge to love well and love much. Short quotes are memorable and can have a high impact. Several of these verses and thoughts have come to mind as I go about my day.
In this free printable quote collection you’ll find a few Bible verses as well as quotes from authors, pastors, and famous people. I couldn’t resist adding a couple of quotes from my favorite philosopher, Winnie the Pooh.
Here are a few thoughts on the power of love from Six Powerful Lessons on Love and Humility from the Last Supper:
- Love is like oxygen. We need to know we are loved and we need to love others.
- Loving God and loving one another is the one foundation we cannot do without.
- Love is where life is lived, salvation worked out, and victory won.
- Love is the motivation of humility.
Without love, service is meaningless, teaching becomes noise, and faith misses the point. Without love we are bankrupt souls and our greatest work turns to dust in the light of eternity.
A Biblical Description of Love from 1 Corinthians 13
The Apostle Paul described the importance of love with these famous words:
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails . . . .And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:1-8,13 ESV
Print Quotes on Love for a Quick Gift or Craft
I used to enjoy making handmade gifts and cards. Small, tangible ways to express love with creativity can give a memorable touch to friends and family. I love to paint, stamp, glue…all the crafty things. It was a ministry of love.
I don’t always have time or supplies on hand to bring a homemade touch to cards and gifts. If you love to add a personal and creative touch to the love you express, save time and money with this collection of printable quotes on love. I’ve purposely selected a variety of sources and content so you can find a quote for all the special people in your life–husbands, wives, dads, moms, kids, and friends.
Perfect for Valentine’s Day, these quotes are also great for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Get Well Cards, birthdays, and more. Here are some ideas for ways to use this collection of printable quotes:
- Place larger prints in a frame.
- Pin to a bulletin board.
- Attach a string to the wall like a clothes line. “Hang” quotes with clothe’s pins. You can get mini clothe’s pins at a craft store for smaller prints.
- Use as journal prompts and decorate your page with a mini-quote.
- Punch a hole, add ribbon or twine for a cute gift tag.
- Decorate a junk journal.
- Add to a wedding gift.
- Make an anniversary card.
- Cheer up a friend.
- Tuck in a lunch box.
- Embellish a scrapbook page.
- Make a ring of love. Hole-punch the set and “tie” together with binder ring and ribbon for a simple gift.
- Make refrigerator magnets.
- Bind pages (large or small) into a mini book. Use rings, ribbon, twine, staples for binding.
Show someone you love how special they are with an easy homemade gift of love.
26 Short Quotes Love to Inspire Good Relationships
- “To love someone means to see him as God intended him.” ~ Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The love we give away is the only love we keep. – Elbert Hubbard
- A loving heart is the truest wisdom. –Charles Dickens
- A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. –John 13:34 ESV
- “Do not think that love in order to be genuine has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired. Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” –Mother Theresa
- “Faith makes all things possible. Love makes all things easy.” –Dwight L. Moody
- There are never enough I Love You’s. –Lenny Bruce
- “Let all that you do be done in love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 16:14
- The first duty of love is to listen. –Paul Tillich
- The measure of love is to love without measuring.” – Saint Augustine
- Love is not only something you feel, it is something you do. –David Wilkerson
- You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving. –Robert Lewis Stevenson
- But now faith, hope, andlove remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love. –1 Corinthians 13:13 NASB
- “Never procrastinate in showing love. Don’t delay. Don’t put it off. Do it now.” –Rick Warren
- “A hug is always the right size.”
- The great acts of love are done by those who are habitually performing small acts of kindness. –Victor Hugo
- “Love me when I least deserve it, because that’s when I really need it.”
– Swedish proverb
- “Love is a choice you make from moment to moment.” – Barbara De Angelis
- Love never fails… –1 Corinthians 13:8a NASB
- “Our greatest fear should not be of failure but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” – Francis Chan
- “A good marriage is the union of two good forgivers.”- Ruth Bell Graham
- “When couples love God first, they love each other better.” – Brela Delahoussaye
- “We need not think alike to love alike.” – Francis David
- ”How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning
- “Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” ~ 1 Peter 4:8
- “Loved you yesterday, love you still, always have, always will.” – Elaine Davis
Which one of these quotes inspires you with fresh energy to love others well? Who comes to mind as you read these short quotes on love? Be sure to get your printable quotes and have fun making a special gift to brighten someone’s day!
Get the Printable Pack of Short Quotes on Love
28 Motivating Quotes to Build Healthy Habits this Year
Ready to stop procrastinating on better habits of health for your body, soul, and spirit? Enjoy this collection of motivating quotes to work on healthy habits for greater wellness for the whole person. Focus on routines and tips to support your goals with The Wellness Project. Start fresh with a weekly email from Ginger packed with motivation, information, tips, journal pages, and a prayer to help you build a healthy lifestyle.
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you for books quoted.
Did you make any goals or resolutions this year?
If so, how’s it going?
Whether we make New Year’s Resolutions or set goals for the year, many of us want to cultivate a healthy lifestyle. Motivation to get started is high at the beginning of the year.
Reasons Why Building Healthy Habits Matters to Me
Motivating quotes can inspire small changes and healthy habits as part of our wellness routine. Building better habits is a vital part of turning good intentions into a healthy lifestyle for the whole person.
1. Motivated by Personal Challenges
Last year I had a goal to lose weight. You too? I worked at it and was sort of successful in a frustrating way.
What’s that, you ask?
I lost the SAME five pounds at least five times!
Maybe more. I stopped counting.
It’s called the yo-yo cycle–up, down, up, down, again and again.
Consistency is a battle, and the struggle is real. Can you relate?
I’m realizing that my motivation to pursue my goal of a healthier weight wasn’t consistent. And neither were my habits that support my goal,
If you’re like me, you’re doing a lot of things right in terms of healthy practices in your life. But most of us battle with consistency in some area of wellness.
Frustrating, eh? You bet.
Motivation is a key part of achieving our goals. This is one reason why I’m working on sustaining healthy practices in my life, and I wonder if you might like to join me.
2. Motivated by My Work
Most folks online know me as a Christian author/blogger and motivational speaker. What you may not know is that I have worked as a fitness instructor for the past twelve years.
I love my fitness work and it is a wonderful compliment to my writing (sedentary) work. This is the first time I’m bringing the writing world into my health and fitness work, and I’m excited to add physical health and wellness to content topics.
3. Motivated by Loss
You also may not know that I was a caregiver for my younger sister during her debilitating battle with ALS. Friend, losing a loved one to this devastating disease exponentially increases my appreciation for health and the gift of mobility.
It was heart breaking to watch my sister lose the ability to hold a pen or even scratch her arm. Her loss motivated me with the sobering truth that life can be shorter than we plan. Health is a gift and our habits are vital to making the most of each day.
All of this is a little background for this new focus on the importance of doing what we can to stay healthy in every area of life. Here’s the thing, friend:
Your health matters because we need you in this world! Share on X
28 Motivating Quotes to Create Healthy Habits
- This section contains affiliate links at no cost to you for books quoted.
Whether you want to grow in healthy habits or accomplish some other dream or goal, getting started is the first step to everything. I’ve gathered a variety of quotes on getting started, good habits, and goal setting in my research for The Wellness Project.
Be inspired by these motivational quotes to begin building good habits for a healthier and happier you. #motivatingquotes #healthyhabits Share on X
- “Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” —Tony Robbins
- “Waiting for perfect time and opportunity. It comes never – start now.” ― Amit Ray, Walking the Path of Compassion
- “A goal is a gift you give yourself today for tomorrow.” —Jon Acuff
- “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” —Theodore Roosevelt
- “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” — Walt Disney
- “The solution to an over-busy life is not more time. It’s to slow down and simplify our lives around what really matters.”
― John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry
- Ask yourself if what you’re doing today is getting you closer to where you want to be tomorrow.” — Anonymous
- “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.” —Stephen Covey
- “Sometimes the smallest step is the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life.” —Mary Square
- “Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live.” —Jim Rohn
- “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” —Jim Ryun
- “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” —Lao Tzu
- “Healthy habits are learned in the same way as unhealthy ones – through practice.” —Wayne Dyer
- “The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” —Socrates
- “Doing a little bit is infinitely bigger and better than doing nothing”
― Stephen Guise, Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results
- “You’ll never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” —John C. Maxwell
- “You can’t go back and make a new start, but you can start right now and make a brand-new ending.” —James R. Sherman
- “Stop judging yourself. Take your aspirations and break them down into tiny behaviors. Embrace mistakes as discoveries and use them to move forward.”
― J. Fogg, Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything
- “It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives. It’s what we do consistently.” ― Anthony Robbins
- “One small step + desired behavior = high probability of further steps”
― Stephen Guise, Mini Habits: Smaller Habits, Bigger Results
- Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless in the first waking moment of the day you learn to fling the door wide back and let God in, you will work on a wrong level all day…” — Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest
- “The spiritual disciplines are actually all habits of your mind and your body. — John Mark Comer,
- “You may delay, but time will not.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “The greatest amount of wasted time is the time not getting started.” — Dawson Trotman
- “The next choice is the most important choice.” —George Wells
- “We tend to overestimate but we can change in the short term but underestimate the change that can happen in the long term.”—John Ortberg Podcast
I hope this collection of motivational quotes on getting started and the power of healthy habits will ignite your heart to make the most of your beautiful life.
Motivation to Make this Your Healthiest Year
Friend, I hope you have an amazing year of achieving your goals and giving your best self to all you do.
Let’s ask God for the daily grace to live well in the choices we make. However you approach this year, be inspired to pursue a healthy lifestyle that includes body, soul, and spirit:
Be healthy. Be happy. Be holy. Be whole.
What healthy habits are you working on this year? Which quote motivates you to stay focused on your goals?
Build Healthy Habits with The Wellness Challenge
Join the 7-day Wellness Challenge to jump-start health and wellness for your best year ever. Seven days to focus on foundational practices to nurture your healthy body, soul & spirit. Set do-able goals to take care of all of you as we start a healthy 2024 together!
Start well. Stay well. Live well.
We’ll meet in your inbox with a boost of motivation, quick tips, and a daily challenge. You’ll also set a goal to continue each healthy practice beyond the challenge. Think of this time as your sacred opportunity to get started with sustainable habits that will help you feel your best.
Seven days, seven topics, and seven beautiful gifts to yourself for better health for all of you–your body, your mindset, and your spirit. Too often we compartmentalize health, focusing on the physical aspects of wellness. In reality, God created your body, soul, and spirit to function as a cohesive whole that is deeply connected. The health of your inner life has a big impact on your physical well-being.
Join the Facebook Group to Pursue Healthy and Holy Habits
I’ll be cheering you on as we journey together to a healthier life and a deeper relationship with God. For a more interactive experience, join me in the Holy in the Moment Facebook Group to engage with other folks cultivating habits of health for body, soul, and spirit!
*The contents of this website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on gingerharrington.com are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Why Positive Thinking is Good for a Healthy Body, Soul, and Spirit
Understand why positive thinking is important and how to overcome unhealthy thought patterns. Learn how to think positively with practical tips. Identifying negative thinking patterns helps us reframe them with positive thoughts and healthy self-talk. Isn’t it time to build positive thinking habits for greater wellness in your body, soul, and spirit? Join The Wellness Challenge for seven days of healthy thinking and living.
Positive Thinking Supports a Healthy Life
Positive thinking can not only change your day, it can change your life in healthy ways.
Too often we narrow our health goals to the physical–increasing fitness, losing weight, improving eating habits, weight, or reducing cholesterol, to name a few. All good! But we need a healthy soul as well as physical vitality.
Your soul includes your mind, will, and emotions. This is where the power of positive thinking comes in. Our thoughts influence our emotions, decisions, beliefs, and health in powerful ways–for good or for bad.
When I mention positive thinking-what comes to mind? Am I getting an eyeball roll here? (Yes, is saw that). Positive thinking can get a bad rap in some circles: Pollyanna-syndrome, Name-it-and-Claim It, fake, overdone, trite, cliché… But here’s the reality—negative thoughts can derail growth, change, and health.
Our thoughts reflect what we believe in the moment. Emotions, attitudes, and behavior follow our thoughts. Our thoughts can either help or hinder us in sustaining our habits of health.
Why Positive Thinking Is Important
Consider the many health benefits of positive thinking for greater well-being. Some researchers have found that a habit of prolonged negative thinking diminishes your brain’s ability to think, reason, and form memories. Habitual toxic thinking drains the brain’s resources.
Another study reported in the journal American Academy of Neurology found that cynical thinking also produces a greater dementia risk. According to the Mayo Clinic, health benefits that positive thinking may provide include:
- Increased life span
- Lower rates of depression
- Lower levels of distress and pain
- Greater resistance to illnesses
- Better psychological and physical well-being
- Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease and stroke
- Reduced risk of death from cancer
- Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress
It is clear that what happens in the mind impacts the body. Developing positive thinking habits is a crucial element in your wellness journey.
Positive Thinking is Healthy Thinking
Positive thinking isn’t an unrealistic outlook or a denial of reality. Intentional choices to respond rather than react, positive thinking includes some of the following habits:
- Be attentive to what you’re thinking about.
- Examine your thoughts–are they healthy or unhealthy, positive or negative, true or false, helpful or destructive?
- Consider what is true.
- Refrain from disparaging yourself or others with critical, pessimistic, exaggerated, judgmental, or reactionary thoughts and opinions.
Replace or reframe negative thought with a positive truth or statement.
A positive mindset and healthy thought patterns actually rewire our brain, decreased stress, and can be related to disease prevention. It’s all connected.
Our thoughts can either help or hinder us in sustaining our habits of health. #mentalhealth #positivethinking Share on X
Is Your Self-Talk Healthy?
Getting personal here, friend. How do you talk to yourself in the privacy of your mind? Do you speak kindly to yourself when you’ve made a mistake or fallen short of a goal? Do you say things you would never say to someone else? Maybe you label yourself with thoughts like “not enough,” “stupid,” “you’ll never get it right,” “you always mess up” . . . and on and on our personal diatribes can go.
We all have moments of negative thinking or unhealthy self-talk. Take a moment to think about how consistent negative thoughts can derail your process of building healthy habits.
When it comes to the habits and patterns of our lives, our self-talk can be a powerful way to make progress.
Common Unhealthy Thought Patterns
Creating healthier thought habits begins with noticing when we default to a negative thought or reaction. Rita Schulte’s book, Think This, Not That provides a valuable list of thought patterns that distort our perspective and ignite difficult emotions. Here are a few that can get in the way of building healthy habits. For the full list, see my post “How Identify and Overcome Negative Thinking.”
- Should, must, ought to be, and have to be statements: These inflexible beliefs are based on misperceptions and can lead to anxiety, depression, self pity, anger, and guilt.
- Overgeneralization: This cognitive distortion happens when we assume that because something happened one way it will always happen that way. We can recognize this thinking pattern by words like never, always, and everyone.
- Personalization: When we see things as our fault without recognizing other contributing factors, we are personalizing. People who personalize see the issue as something wrong with themselves, a character flaw or deficit. It often cycles into personal name calling (I’m an idiot, I’m a loser, I’m unloveable) and self-condemnation.
- Disqualifying the positive: Schulte explains this pattern, “Disqualifying the positive is a way we overestimate a negative outcome and minimize our ability to cope with difficult situations. We reject our positive experiences, or our strengths, and we focus instead on the negative aspects of our situation or our character” (p.97).
- Emotional reasoning: Interpreting negative feelings as truth is a destructive pattern of unhealthy thinking. I feel unworthy becomes a belief that I am unworthy. I wrote a lot about this pattern in Holy in the Moment.
- All or nothing thinking. This pattern moves from one extreme to another, not recognizing the middle ground between. For example, feeling inadequate may lead to the belief I must be perfect or I’m a total failure.
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
Could one of these unproductive patterns be holding you back from a happier and healthier life?
10 Examples of Reframing Negative Thoughts
Consider a few examples reframing to shift into positive with your thoughts. Catch a vision for how you can be cheerleader for yourself rather than allow your inner-critic to run the show.
- I can’t.→I’ll try.
- No use trying.→I’ll give it my best effort.
- It’s too overwhelming.→I can take it one step at a time.
- I always fail.→I often succeed.
- I can’t do anything right.→I do many things well/I haven’t figured it out yet.
- It’s hopeless.→Today is not the end of the story.
- It’s too hard.→I’ll never be able to ___/ This is hard, but I’ll keep trying.
- I can’t control the situation.→I can choose how I respond.
- I’m so bad at this.→I will improve if I keep trying.
- I’ll never be able to do this→I will focus on progress instead of perfection.
Which of these statements could be a game-changer for you? Create a few statements of your own. This week, choose a positive statement to reframe the negative thought or situation that challenges you.
Body and Spirit Connection
Positive thinking reflects a transformed mind. In the fascinating book Switch On Your Brain, Dr. Caroline Leaf explains that harnessing negative thought, changing it through awareness, repentance, and forgiveness, and replacing it with truth helps rewire healthy new circuits in our brains, part of God’s transforming work in our minds.
Ephesians 4:23 tells us to “Let the Spirit change your way of thinking” (CEV). Building positive thinking habits not only benefits our health, but it is a practical part of renewing our mind. How amazing that God literally re-wires the neural pathways in our brains when we consistently choose healthy and positive thoughts.
Nurture your body, soul, and spirit by adding biblical statements of truth to your self-talk. Here are a few examples to get you started. Click here to read the full verses.
- I am fearfully and wonderfully made –Psalm 139:13-14
- God gives me strength when I am tired and weary. – Isaiah 40:29
- I will take this thought captive to Christ –2 Corinthians 10:5
- I can do all things with Christ who strengthens me –Phil 4:13
- I walk by faith rather than what I see today – 2 Corinthians 5:7
TIP: Practice choosing a better thought pattern when you aren’t under pressure.
When you’ve got some down time, practice better ways to reframe a negative thought pattern. This way you are prepared when that negative thought comes to mind.
TIP: Trust God to do the work of transforming your mind as you cooperate in the process.
Be patient with yourself. Renewing your mind takes time. Rely on the Holy Spirit’s help to do what you can’t do. Overtime, you will build new patterns of healthy thinking.
My friend, you can do this! Practice positive thinking one moment at a time. Before you know it, the power of habit will kick in. Set a goal of one issue, one pattern, or one challenge to work on this week.
Activating Prayer
Here’s your prayer to bless your effort this week.
Lord, thank you for the gift of my amazing mind. Help me to become aware of my thinking habits. Please show me a specific unhealthy thought pattern to work on this week. I trust you to remind me to restate my thoughts in positive ways. With your help, I can build a consistent habit of choosing positive thoughts. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Live well and focus on the positive this week!
Cheering you on,
Ginger
Join The Wellness Challenge Today
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Check Out the Habits of Hope Podcast
Join Ginger for an engaging and informative podcast on building healthy and hopeful habits to live well with deeper faith. Habits of Hope is your guide for developing spiritual habits that nurture your soul and deepen your connection with God. Hosted by Ginger Harrington and co-host Larissa Traquair, each episode explores how small, consistent choices can lead to significant spiritual growth.
References for Healthy Thinking
The following articles and books referred to in this post:
- Medical Press: Do negative thoughts increase risk of Alzheimer’s disease?
- Science Daily: Cynical? You May Be Hurting Your Brain Health
- Mayo Clinic: Positive thinking: Stop negative self-talk to reduce stress
- Think This, Not That: by Rita Schulte
- Ginger Harrington: How Identify and Overcome Negative Thinking
- Holy in the Moment: Simple Ways to Love God and Enjoy Your Life by Ginger Harrington
- Switch on Your Brain: The Key to Peak Happiness, Thinking, and Health by Dr. Caroline Leaf, p. 71
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*The contents of this website, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on gingerharrington.com are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
Deepen Your Faith with Top Five Posts of 2022 from Ginger Harrington
Deepen your faith with this collection of the five most popular posts of 2022 from Ginger Harrington, award-winning author of Holy in the Moment. Join thousands of readers to inspire your faith for a deeper relationship with God, others, and yourself. Share this content with someone you know who desires practical resources to cultivate a healthy and holy life with God. Restore your soul, focus as you pray the armor of God, deepen your relationship with Jesus, and make decisions with peace in the most popular articles this year on A Deeper Life Starts Now! Learn more about Ginger’s writing and speaking ministry at the end of the post.
The last week of the year is the perfect time to reflect on the year, isn’t it? It’s a natural time to take stock, celebrate ourt wins and learn from our losses of the past twelve months. Sandwiched between Christmas and New Years, the tail end of the year beckons us to remember our best moments with a grateful heart.
As you finish out 2022, take a few moments to consider what you have learned and rejoice over goals accomplished. This is the time I review what God has taught me, reminding myself of precious moments God has spoken insight and revelation during my quiet times. These are the AHA moments that spark growth, healing, and wholeness if we pay attention, taking them to heart by remembering and responding. If you’d like to know more about how to do this, check out this post which includes a handy printable of questions to help you review your year from a spiritual standpoint.
Top Posts 2022 from Ginger Harrington
This year on the blog I have focused on quality over quantity, which has been a joy. Due to the additional time and energy needed to settle my sweet sister’s estate, I needed to let go of the goal of weekly blog posts. I have to say, it was refreshing and restoring to write when I have something important to share versus keeping a brisk schedule of writing goals. Taking time to grieve, reflect, and rest has brought forth some very special content this year. As with most things, more is not necessarily better. Do you agree?
You can read about what I learned about rest in one of the top 5 posts of the year. This post ranked on the front page of Google for rest and solitude within the first two weeks of publication. I’d say this topic struck a cord with many, and I hope it will speak to your soul as well. I hope you’ll enjoy this curated collection of the most visited and shared posts this year. You’ll also see several free companion resources or ebooks that will help you apply the concepts to your life on a deeper level.
How Rest and Solitude Restore Your Soul After Stress or Loss
Rest and solitude are vital to creating time and space for Jesus to restore our souls. When we experience extended stress, grieve deep losses, or face significant trials, we need to recognize the signs and impact of weariness and exhaustion. Discover the importance of making time to attend to mental, emotional, and spiritual needs. The benefits of intentional rest and solitude bring healing and refreshment, enabling us to move forward with fresh energy, deeper faith, and greater wisdom.
Related Posts:
- Why You Should Trust Jesus for the Rest You Need
- 15 Habits of Rest that Will Improve Your Life + ebook
- What is Spiritual Rest and Why Do We Need It?
Free Ebook to Help Get the Rest You Need
A Prayer to Put On the Armor of God + Free Printable
*Top Post of the Year with Highest Traffic
Spiritual battles come in lots of shapes and sizes. From small skirmishes to all out war, prayer is a vital part of putting on the armor of God. Prayer empowers us to receive the spiritual strength of God to stand firm. Ephesians 6:18 instructs us to pray at all time with all kinds of prayers as part of our spiritual battle plan. All times and all kinds can include a wide variety of types of prayer, including praying when we exercise. Don’t miss the downloadable prayer to inspire you to put on the armor of God. Print the prayer help you be prepared with God’s protection.
Related Post: How to Stand Firm in the Armor of God
Free Printable Prayer
How to Stay Focused in Prayer
Do you ever have a hard time focusing in prayer? Wandering thoughts distract attention making it difficult to pray. At times my thoughts are all over the place when I pray, making me wonder if I have spiritual ADD. How about you? Do you find it frustrating to focus in prayer at least on occasion? Concentration can be hard to develop in prayer, but our relationship with God grows deeper as we learn to pray with an attentive heart.
Related Posts:
4 Powerful Ways to Peace in Decision Making
Making life-changing decisions is stressful. Decisions about schools, jobs, relationships, family, moves, or major purchases bring big changes that take us into the unknown. Fear of making the wrong decision stirs up what if’s that take us captive with anxiety. Discover four biblical ways to calm your heart. Find deeper faith in the midst of uncertainty. Receive peace to settle your troubled heart because trusting Jesus in the process is the best decision of all. Heads up: don’t miss the free printable prayer & verses at the end of the post!
10 Practical Prompts for Listening to Jesus in Bible Reading
Will Jesus speak to me? Do you long to develop confidence that Jesus will speak to you in a personal way as you read God’s Word? God speaks in many ways, but the Bible tells us that in these days He has spoken to us in His Son (Hebrews 11:1). In this post I’m sharing practical prompts that helped me learn to listen as I meditate on a Scripture passage. Don’t miss some of my best tips for cultivating a deeper relationship with Christ through my new Spiritual Growth Pack of tip sheets, truths, and prayers.
Free Spiritual Growth Pack
I’d love to know which post most resonates with you. Leave a comment and share your favorite topic. Your feed back is a valuable help in planning new content for 2023!
What I Write About
Stick around and let’s live wholeheartedly in Christ and enjoy what matters most. I write and speak about biblical truth, healthy thoughts and emotions, listening to God, overcoming anxiety, spiritual practices, and trusting Christ to do the deep work of heart change. You can learn more about my speaking here.
Together, we’ll learn to live holy and whole as we journey with Christ to deeper. . .
- intimacy with God
- understanding of God’s Word
- relationships with others
- understanding of ourselves
- freedom from the fears that hold us back
With heart, hope, and a dash of humor, let’s receive God’s blessings, fresh for today.
Are you ready to thrive?
A deeper life starts now.
About Ginger’s Award-Winning Book
Overcome the struggles that hold you back.
A powerful encouragement for anyone who struggles to overcome anxiety, perfectionism, insecurity, or other mindsets that hold us back. Grow in holiness without the pressure to have everything “just right.” Through gentle encouragement, biblical insights, and applicable ideas you can experience a deeper life of freedom in Christ. Transparently sharing my own struggles, I want to help you live from the reality of hope, healing, and holiness.
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you. Any books I recommend are resources I value and want to share. Proceeds help with the costs of maintaining this site.
Christmas Devotion: Why Jesus Is the Light of Hope for Your Life
Let the wonder of Jesus open your eyes to hope this Christmas. From cradle to cross, the Lord Jesus is a divine gift for us all. Relish the power of God lighting your life, overcoming the dark of every doubt and shining hope into every difficulty. Extra bonus, enjoy a free 7-day Christmas devotional from Ginger.
Soft light of a candle caresses the room, making shadows dance. A treasure of Christmas, light creates an ambiance that adds a special glow to these days we mark the coming of Christ. Yet, what we see is only a fraction of the full spectrum of light. From cosmic rays to infrared rays, our limited vision isn’t equipped to see the full extent of light’s power and presence.
There’s so much we cannot see. This is why we need to be centered in hope.
How easily doubt blinds our eyes to the light of Christ, distorts our view and diminishes our experience. Paul wrote words to penetrate the deep doubts that block our sight when we don’t understand. “We live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 4:18 NASB).
Comparing faith with sight, believing is a way of seeing.
With the birth of Jesus, the glory of God took form, visible to our eyes. Generations scoured the night skies searching for a sign of the Messiah, faith looking forward with expectation.
Glory of God cradled His head in a meager manger stall. Stars beckoned His birth as angels lit the night sky announcing the miracle. Even so, light of expectation tarnished with doubt. Many didn’t recognize prophecies fulfilled before their eyes. So many didn’t notice. Didn’t believe.
Many still don’t.
From Darkness to Light
The Light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness didn’t understand it or overpower it or appropriate it or absorb it [and is unreceptive to it].–John 1: 5 AMP
Faith to light your life, let the wonder of Jesus open your eyes this Christmas. Open wide your spiritual eyes as you embrace the gift of grace, given for you.
From cradle to cross, the Lord Jesus is a divine gift to light your world with hope.
He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name.–John 1:11-12 NASB
Receive the light, the power of His life given for you with these actions of faith:
Welcome His presence daily as you appropriate His life.
Trust God beyond what you see today.
Make room for Him moment by moment.
Relish the power of God lighting your life, overcoming the dark of every doubt and shining hope into every difficulty.
Reckon by faith every word of truth, each promise of God is this Word that grew flesh and lived large among us.
Faith to light your life, let the wonder of Jesus open your eyes this Christmas. Open wide your spiritual eyes as you embrace the gift of grace, given for you.
Receive your true life.
The one you are destined to live as you shine in the light of His glory.
You Are No Longer Alone
Nothing makes you feel more alone than being in the dark.
Isolated, unable to see, we grope for our way with steps tentative and every movement measured. Are you living a careful life, trying hard not to trip over the unseen or run into an obstacle you cannot see coming?
The dark has a way of sparking fear-based living and self-protective loving.
Hard days or days shut away in doubt drive us to protective measures where finding our way takes priority over people and the dreams we hold close. Every ounce of energy focuses on getting through, getting out, and getting on. Weight of the undone and unfulfilled hangs heavy in the black, while we obsess over every misstep and missed blessing. Can you relate?
There it was–the true Light [the genuine, perfect, steadfast Light] which, coming into the world, enlightens everyone.–John 1:9 AMP
Grace that Lights Up Your Life
Disconnected, discontent, or dejected, spiritual darkness keeps us separated from God, ourselves, and others. What we miss, when we don’t live in the light of Christ. Sight adjusts to lack of light and we miss the blessings before us. The ones beside us.
Do we see the light coming for us, waiting for us? Pure, perfect, and steadfast, the holy life of Jesus illuminates every dim corner and dark circumstance.
Did you catch a glimpse of hope to light your world? Grace to enlighten your heart and lighten your load is yours.
Embrace the truth that you don’t have to create the light out of your lack.
You don’t have to see the solutions or somehow, someway, do one more thing to muster the power to get through.
The life of Jesus lights us up, purifying hearts with holy fire. He is our great gift of righteousness–His right way of living, thinking, relating, and being.
Casting out the dark of loneliness and confusion, His light sets right our heart. Basking in the light of His glory, we see the saving of our souls from every dark thing. Informing, teaching, giving, understanding . . . transformation dawns day by day, even moment by moment.
The Light of God With Us
Blessing beyond all that glitters in this bent world, we don’t have to search for the light, for love came down to us at Christmas.
Unwilling to leave us in the dark, separated from God, Jesus set aside His God-glory, the radiance of heaven. When light enters the dark, we see things differently. Shadows take form, confusion becomes clear, and we know we are no longer alone.
And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
–John 1:14
Taking on flesh, tender covering with infant skin, love lives among us. His name is Emmanuel, God with us. Living and dying that we might see with the hope of faith. Raised again that we might share His life, to shine with the light of His glory.
No longer alone, the dark loses power to separate. To isolate. To devastate.
Glory Baby, the eternal life and light of this weary world lives among us.
And we are no longer alone in the dark.
This is the wonderful, eternal why. The why Jesus brings the light of hope to light your life with hope.
More Light to Inspire Your Christmas Season
Get this beautiful downloadable PDF made with you in mind. Bask in the light of Christ this Christmas with a selection of devotions to keep the holy in your holiday with this free gift from Ginger. Enjoy using this resource for your personal quiet time, family devotions, or small group studies.
The Best of Christmas from Ginger Harrington
Enjoy best of Ginger Harrington’s Christmas content through the years. Inspire your heart and find great activities to make this Christmas a meaningful time or worship, fun, and family from this award-winning blogger and author! Which one of these posts could be just what you need to keep the holy in your holiday this year?
Merry Christmas, Friends!
Here’s a curated collection of my top Christmas content over the years. Some are humorous and others devotional, so enjoy! Be sure to download my Christmas gifts for you– a free Christmas devotional and free chapter from Holy in the Moment!
Christmas Podcast Episodes
Get a Free Christmas Devotional from Ginger.
Hope to Light Your World
Light shines joy and love throughout the Christmas season, but it is also the power of God at work overcoming the darkness. Has the pace of life threatened to eclipse the true light of Christmas, as worshipping the Christ-child becomes one of many loved traditions of the season? Bask in the light of Christ this Christmas with a selection of devotions to inspire light and hope in your heart. Enjoy this free gift to inspire your heart this Christmas in your quiet time, family devotions, or small group discussions.
Sign up for your free Christmas devotional here.
How a Christmas Miracle Taught Faith and Healing in ‘Holy in the Moment’
Read, listen, or watch the story of a Christmas miracle I experienced where God taught me about faith, hope, and healing. This is a behind-the-scenes podcast and related blog post featuring content from the first chapter of my award-winning book, Holy in the Moment. (This is an affiliate link.) A poignant story from one challenging Christmas in my life was truly a Christmas miracle. Give the gift of holy this Christmas–Holy in the Moment makes a wonderful gift to encourage faith in a practical way. Learn more about the book here.
Download your free chapter here.
*This post contains affiliate links at no cost to you.
Take the Christmas Worship Challenge
Enjoy devotions to focus on worship this Christmas season. Each post includes a daily worship activity and youtube video to energize your faith this Christmas. Click here or on the image below to sign up for this series of interactive devotions for advent.
- Worship Like a Wise Man
- The Glory of Christ
- Both Child and Might God
- Four Ways to Love God
- God With Us
- Two Ways to Exalt Christ This Christmas
- A God who Speaks
- Let Beauty Spark Your Worship Today
- Make it Beautiful
- Give God Glory: Put on You’re Dancing Shoes
- A Lesson From the Christmas Shepherds
- Make it Known: Another Lesson from the Shepherds
- Treasuring and Pondering: Meditation of the Heart
- Fullness of Grace: The Divine Multiplier
- How to Find Joy
- Worship by Giving the Gift of Prayer
- Believing God: The Rest of Peace
- Break Out of Your Worship Rut
- Christmas Through the Eyes of a Child
- The Worship of Gratitude
- Celebrate Christmas: Give God the Gift of Yourself
- Why You Should Sing in the New Year with a New Song
- We Don’t Worship Alone
- 10 Practical Tips to Deepen Your Worship Now (Summary of Worship Tips from the Challenge)
- 10 More Tips to Deepen Your Worship Now
- Worship You Don’t Want to Miss
Ideas and Activities
Counter the commercialism of the season with this list of 25 ideas to invest in family and faith this year. Try a new sacred tradition this year to create holy moments for your family. 
We are just a few days from Christmas. The kids are all home. As we transition to a new season of life with an empty nest the time together as a family is all the more special.
Click on the images to read the posts.
Handling Grief During Christmas
The Christmas my Dad died took me by surprise. Secretly, I had been holding by breath, dreading the holiday in the shadow of loss. Yet, in our grief and in the broken road traveled, the surface of expectation was torn aside.
The gifts God unwrapped in me where the treasures of appreciation and acceptance as I cherished reality rather than expectation.
That Christmas, grief cut through the old habits. We hugged a little tighter, loved a little freer, and gazed a little longer in appreciation of one another, despite all the hard things. Laughter and tears, joy and heartache mingled as God gave comfort through the true appreciation of the gift of love. Click here to listen, watch, or read this content.
Christmas Devotions
Good News That Lights Up Your Dark Night
This Christmas…Choose to Believe, part 1
This Christmas…Choose to Believe, part 2
A Printable Christmas Prayer
Have a very special Christmas filled with faith, fun, love, and family. I hope these gifts and devotions will inspire your heart to worship God and enjoy your family in a special way this Christmas. I’d love to know your favorite way to focus on Christ at Christmas. Leave a comment below to share what makes Christmas special for you. Share this content by pinning the image below!
Laugh with Funny Christmas Posts from Ginger
Everything is better in a Christmas sweater, right? Have fun with Ginger’s humorous look at maintaining a festive spirit when the rush of Christmas gets crazy!
Get Ready, Get Set, Get Christmas!
Stay-Sane Tips for This Christmas
Stay-Mostly-Sane-This-Christmas Tips
All Wrapped Up With Stay-Sort-Sane-This-Christmas Tips
For the Love of Christmas Sweaters
My Best Thanksgiving Leftover Recipe: Mom’s Turkey Hash
Try our favorite way to use leftover turkey this Thanksgiving. My mom’s turkey hash is always a winner in our household for several generations.
The Thanksgiving meal is a precious time to gather family and friends around the table for great food, sweet fellowship, and grateful hearts. Food is a big part of this holiday and we all have our favorite dishes.
For some, it’s all about the turkey with great debate over the benefits of roasting versus frying.
For others, the sides and fixings are the favorites.
Have you noticed how people have strong opinions on whether cranberry sauce is best jellied or whole? Our friend Bruce votes for jellied cranberry in the shape of the can. My husband gives the canned crans a thumbs up. My personal favorite is homemade cranberry relish. I make it every year. Look’s good, doesn’t it? Forgive the candid photos, but since this isn’t a food blog we’re keeping it casual.
Some years we’ve had much discussion on the best kind of stuffing. Since I’m the primary cook at our house, I usually win. My favorite is Pepperidge Farm Corn Bread Stuffing with onions, celery, and pecans.
I’d say all of us have our favorite desserts. After all, what is Thanksgiving without the pie? Pumpkin, apple, or pecan–which do you prefer? I’ll take apple over pumpkin any day.
For me, my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is the leftovers. Our family loves my mom’s turkey hash recipe, which is a delicious way to use up those leftovers if you’ve OD’d on turkey sandwiches. I think this recipe is rather unique to our family so you may not be familiar with it. If you have leftover turkey this year, give this recipe a try! I bet it will make the favorite list in your family as well.
My Mom’s Turkey Hash Recipe
- 1 can of sliced water chestnuts marinated in soy sauce
- 4 cups chopped turkey with skin removed
- 2 cups gravy (canned is fine)
- 1 cup cold water with 2 tablespoons of flour mixed in with fork until there are no lumps
- 1 teaspoon of celery seed
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups chopped celery
Simmer 1 hour. Towards the end of cooking, add in drained water chestnuts. Season as needed with granulated chicken bullion, pepper, and garlic salt.
Serve over rice.
Garnish with toasted slivered almonds, asian-style crunchy noodles, and cranberry sauce.
This hearty dish is a great way to enjoy your thanksgiving leftovers. The marinated water chestnuts, almonds, and crunchy noodles make a delightful addition to change up turkey leftovers.
What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? How do you use leftovers? Share your favorites in the comments below.
From my family to yours. . .
Happy Thanksgiving!
Make Gratitude a Habit in Your Life
This is the perfect time of year to build the habit of than in your life.
Cultivating a grateful heart doesn’t just happen. It takes intention and practice. Sign up below to get your interactive workbook to release the power of gratitude in your life.
More Thanksgiving Posts to Enjoy
- Gratitude Matters: 10 Truths and Tips for a Grateful Life
- Pondering Gratitude
- Thanksgiving is More than a Holiday
- Preparing for Thanksgiving from My House to Yours