Often it’s the simplest things that will make the biggest impact on our hearts, and on others💕🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
Believe in the Light
My heart is heavy today for various reasons.
Something that is becoming very clear to me is that the struggles on people’s hearts are there no matter the season of the year. And even though this time of year is known to be the most wonderful time of the year, the truth is this time of year can amplify the struggles on our hearts.
When I was sitting trying to work today, my mind just kept spinning in circles back to those who are struggling right now.
I couldn’t concentrate so I decided to lay the work down and got up to light a candle.
Why?
Because I needed to visually remind myself that there is light available even in the midst of the dark times. I needed to press pause on my circling thoughts, take a deep breath and meditate on truth. I needed to remember to seek the light of God’s love so that the heaviness doesn’t stop me from moving forward; although admittedly I was a bit stuck for a while today.
If you too have a heavy heart today for whatever reason, I wanted to invite you to join me to…
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we choose to seek the light of God’s love in the darkness. May we remember that although there are heavy times and dark seasons, God’s love and truth is there for us to hold on to to lift us up out of the mire and put us back on solid ground. May we believe in the light rather than allow the darkness to become our truth.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” - John 1:5
Imperfection Is Beautiful
Years ago I started to make this board for my family to share how what we see around this time of year is significance to the Christmas story.
As I started making it my two oldest were about 3 and 4. They asked to help.
I honestly cringed on the inside. I wanted to make this board and make it beautiful.
I gulped down my discomfort and said yes. They had so much fun glueing and coloring. They were experiencing joy while I admittedly was cringing at times within because it wasn’t what I had hoped for.
You know why?
I was seeking perfection.
They found joy in imperfection, which in their eyes was perfection.
All these years later, we still put this out every year to read through each envelope. And when I look at it, my heart smiles because it IS beautiful. Not because it is the most visually appealing, but because my kids hands were a part of making it.
I share this with you today because maybe you too have moments where perfection robs you of the fun and joy that is available.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we all see the beauty in imperfection. It allows us to let go of the tension that can come with trying to be perfect and allows us to freely experience the joy available to us, and others.
Wishing you a joyful day💕🙏💕
With love and hope,
Shawn
Give Love Get Love
This time of year I remember how I would often avoid making eye contact with whomever is collecting for a cause when I would leave stores. Having just spent money in the store, sometimes having hot flashes from overspending, it was easier to walk by them than to give.
Through my growing relationship with God I have learned now to give when entering the store. In being able to give to those who have needs first, I have more joy in my heart than when I used to leave the stores with a cart full and avoid giving.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we practice this type of giving this season. May we give first with no expectation of receiving anything in return. May we trust that when we give love, we will get love, which is more valuable than any thing we could purchase.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.” - Proverbs 11:25
Your Perspective Matters
Where are you heading today?
Before you head out I wanted to share something I heard on my walk with Georgia this morning.
It is a parable about a farmer who was greeted by a person walking down the road. The person asked the farmer, “what are the people like in the village ahead?”
The farmer responded, “what were they like in the last village you passed through?”
The person responded, “they were very nice, friendly and generous.”
The farmer replied, “that is what you will find in the next village.”
A while later a second person approached the farmer. He too asked what the people were like in the village ahead.
Once again the farmer inquired, “what were the people like in the village you just came from?”
The person said, “they were rude, mean and not helpful at all.”
The farmer then replied, “that is what you will find in the village ahead.”
I loved this story and it’s core message of how our perspective is significant to the interactions we have throughout our days.
It also made me think of this time of year and the hustle and bustle that can come with this season.
So before we head out today, I wanted to invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we check the lens we are looking through right now. Are we more aligned with the first person in the parable or the second?
May we choose to align our lens with the perspective of seeing the good in others. And if we meet someone who gives us every reason to shift our perspective, may we choose to live out God’s love to them by practicing patience, kindness, being slow to anger, etc. It may be challenging but by choosing to stop the anger and pass along love instead is transformative for our hearts - and theirs.
Often it isn’t who is around us that can make or break our day. It is the lens we are looking through.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.” - Colossians 3:2
Walker or Runner?
Are you a walker or a runner?
On the trails I am a walker. Yet my pace in life has picked up and I am running around more this time of year rather, than walking through my days.
Often I find when I am feeling overwhelmed, it is because I neglected to involve God in the planning of my day.
Yet when I choose to pause to pray and invite God into my day, I find my days are less cluttered and more productive.
Being busy and over scheduled seems to be celebrated in society. I encourage you to join me to start celebrating what will nourish us, which is a slower pace.
During this busy season, I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
Let’s ask God what purposeful steps forward we need to take today. We can keep running around or we can choose to invite God to walk beside us to give us wisdom and insight along the way.
Will you be a walker or a runner today?
With love and hope,
Shawn
“We make our plans, God directs our steps.” - Proverbs 16:9
Everybody Belongs
When we realize that we are meant to help each their rise up, purpose is breathed into us.
Thank you Beanz & Co. Café for the inspiration and for creating a space that celebrates helping people of all abilities rise up💝
With love and hope,
Shawn
The Giving Tree
A truth I am learning more and more is that my life is best spent not centered around me. So for my 40th birthday last month I had pondered ways I could help someone else💕 I had shared with a friend that I would love to collect winter gear for those locally who need it. Then...
One day I came home to this giving tree that my family and dear friends surprised me with😍 They even had reached out to others inviting them to drop off items for the tree for my birthday💝
This past month our community rallied (as they countless times have) and we collected well over 100 items (some even hand knit!) in our breezeway. Today our family was able to give them away to local families, refugees and to men and women who are homeless who need them this winter.
I share this with you today because giving used to not be a part of my vocabulary and now it is a core value. I am not sure where you personally fall in the spectrum of giving but I offer for you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we choose to make giving a core value, not just in this season of giving, but woven into the fabric of our everyday lives. As much as it’s nice to receive, there is nothing that will make you feel more alive than being able to provide for someone else’s need. The truth is, in the end, it’s not about what we have, it’s about how much love we gave to those who needed it.
With gratitude and hope,
Shawn
A Clear View
As I watched the fog lift from the trail this morning, it made me think of this time of year. We can be so busy, with cluttered, foggy minds from all there is to do.
I wanted to invite you to join me today to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
May we create space in our day, even if a brief minute or two, to be still. As the sun helps lift the fog, may we invite God in to lift the fog in our minds and reveal to us what we need to do versus what we want to do.
God gave us enough time to do all we need to do, just not all the time for the extras that may be calling our name. May we gain clarity and be able to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ as needed so we have less foggy moments moving ahead. By choosing to be still with God, may we all see more clearly this beautiful season before us.
With love and hope,
Shawn
A longer road than expected...
It’s a longer road than expected...
This morning I had the chance to coach one of my children’s basketball teams. As the game approached I found myself with a flashback to the last time I coached, which was when I was diagnosed. And our color of our team then? Yellow. Our teams color this year? Yellow.
I know it may sound silly to some but to those who, like me, have experienced triggers that can cause panic attacks, or for me today, trigger a memory of being diagnosed, I was struggling a bit internally this morning before going.
The road of healing is longer than I thought it would be. Treatments end. Life moves one. But there are still random triggers and healing that need to occur.
What did I choose to do? Show up.
I have learned in my journey with anxiety and cancer is to not believe the fears that try to grip my heart. To face them and tell them that my faith is bigger than the fear.
I share this with you today for anyone else whose has trigger moments that attempt, or do, paralyze us from moving forward.
I invite you to join me to...
Pause. Breathe. Pray.
If the trigger is paralyzing you, extend yourself grace for where you are. But I encourage all of us to remember the trigger memory is a past event and isn’t necessarily the truth of our future experiences. When we are able, may we allow our faith to be big enough to face our fear. And like I experienced today, a new memory be born showing me I am moving forward and taking one more step away from the past. The road may be long, windy and bumpy, but may we keep moving forward, one step at a time.
And to these kids who are on my team, they may never know, but by showing up to encourage them weekly, they are a part of my continued healing. And I will be forever thankful to them for that💕🙏💝
With love and hope,
Shawn