Shifting Thoughts

Last night the wind was crazy here. It woke me up a couple of times and of course I pictured trees falling on my house. To shift away from those fearful thoughts, I prayed over our home and my family, picturing God protecting them and then fell back asleep.

Please don’t think this came easy. Ten plus years ago whenever there was a storm or wind, I would assume the worst and spiral into a panic attack that would have me watching the weather channel nonstop. Being able to wake up, pray, and fall back asleep has only come by practicing trusting God over and over and over and over again, day after day, year after year. It’s not an easy practice and it’s one I am still practicing daily, and will for life, as I am not sure we ever fully trust God with all parts of our life consistently. Maybe you do but I find when I trust God in one area, I unintentionally don’t in another.

I share this with you today because we all have those wind moments in our life. Many it is not literally the wind, but moments that grip us with fear and spiral out thoughts into negative outcomes. I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we practice letting go of the fear by trusting God with whatever it is we are dealing with. May we trust that He loves and cares for us and has us in the palm of His hand. This doesn’t mean we get to know the outcome but it puts our trust in the one who is in control of the outcome and may we find rest in that truth.

With love and hope,

Shawn

I lift up my eyes to the mountains—where does my help come from?

My help comes from the Lord - Psalm 121:1

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Soften the Edges

This lovely stream is on my street and I walk by it on my way to the trail. Not only do I enjoy the sight of the stream but the sound of the water rolling over the rocks is soothing to me as well.

When I walk by this I am also reminded how freely the water flows over the rocks. Over time, the water is able to soften even the hardest of edges on the rocks beneath it.

I share this with you today to invite you to join me to...

Pause. Breathe. Pray.

This week may we recognize the hard edges we have. What I mean by hard edges are those things we are stressed about, the challenges we are facing, the fear, worry, the unknown, etc.? May we take these hard edges before God, who is also known as the spring of living water. (Jeremiah 17:13) May His love and truth help bring a calm to our mind and soul and this stream can do. And over time, as we consistently and persistently spend time with Him, He soften the edges by giving us wisdom and perspective for our days.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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Clear Scans! + A Divine Appointment

Today Patrick celebrated my clear scans with me

I met Patrick four years ago while in treatment. Every day when I walked to treatment I would turn the corner to @masseyeandear and was greeted by Patrick and his warm smile- which unfortunately you don’t get to see today. He, Adil, Danielle, Kim, are just a few of the people who have become like family to me over the years.

When I go to Boston for scans and appointments, I know I am not alone as I have these incredible people there to visit with.

I share this with you today to yes, share the good news, but also as a reminder when we are going through tough times, to take time to...

pause. breathe. pray.

And as tempting as it is to stay focused on the struggle, let’s try and keep our eyes and ears open for the people God has placed along our path. You never know, a simple smile can turn into a friendship that nourishes your soul.

With joy and gratitude,

Shawn

“A sweet friendship refreshes the soul” -Proverbs 27:9

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Leave a Trail

Today on a walk around town with Matt I saw him following the path for part of the time while going off the trail the majority of the time. I couldn’t help but think of a quote I read recently -

“Don’t follow the path. Go where there is no path and leave a trail.” - @rubybridgesofficial

As safe as it can be to keep stay on some paths in life, history reminds us that we do need trailblazers.

I share this with you today to encourage you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we give thanks for all those who have had the wisdom and courage to follow God’s lead and stop following a path to become a trailblazer. May we pause long enough in our own lives to widen our lens to see if we need to remain on the path we are on- or maybe we need to take a detour to help pave a path that will benefit someone else.

With love and hope,

Shawn

You make known to me the path of life - Psalm 16:11

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Overcome Overthinking

I unexpectedly received the book Soundtracks by Jon Acuff recently. The book is due out in April yet through someone’s kindness, the advanced copy of the book landed in my hand at the right time, or as I like to call it a “divine appointment.”

Why was it the right time?

Scans are in the horizon...again. And as I have shared with you, my mind wrestles between surrendering the outcome to God & being gripped by the fear of cancer returning.

This book is about overcoming overthinking & creating new soundtracks to play in the place of broken ones.

What this book is helping me do is put practical advice into practice and shift my thoughts so I can be more productive in my days.

Usually up to a week before scans I am less productive at home & at work. I don’t mean to be but I think the unknown sneaks in & gets me a little stuck. When I read these words, “Broken soundtracks steal our time, creativity and productivity” I was like “yes, they do!”

Do they do the same to you too?

What I have been doing this time around is following Jon’s advice that “action eliminates overthinking” & doing “achievable tasks to help me not get stuck in overthinking” the outcome of my scans.

Rather than waiting for scans & being stuck in the destructiveness of the unknown in my thoughts, I am finding by doing small achievable tasks I am less stuck & more productive.

I also have chosen a new “soundtrack” saying “I am well.” Because I am well, no matter the outcome. Wellness has nothing to do with the state of my body but the state of my heart & mind. Yes, I pray to be NED yet I can’t hold tightly to that as the only outcome. So I open my palms to the truth that “I am well” knowing God is with me.

I share these nuggets of wisdom with you today because I know I am not the only one who gets scanxiety or gets stuck overthinking life. If you can relate, I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

Join me in putting these words of wisdom into practice. They may take work, yet as the quote says, “fear comes free, faith take work.” You, my friend, are worth the work.

With love & hope,

Shawn

PS If you want more practical advice for overcoming overthinking, order a copy of the book #Soundtracks If you do, lmk what you takeaway from it!

Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.

- Hebrews 11:1

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Something New Coming for You!

So, I have been working on something for you

It’s not ready just yet but I thought I’d let you in on what’s happening!

Before the book is complete, I thought I’d host a group here on FB to give you a glimpse into some of the principles the book is based on so you can try them on for size.

To sign up for the “10-day Challenge to Align with Your Divine Design” starting on March 1 visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/423745495441267

I look forward to encouraging you to live from the inside out by aligning with your divine design!

With love and hope,

Shawn

“Pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them.”

- Proverbs 4:20-22

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They Will Show Up When It Matters

Today I was encouraged by something that happened with one of our kids. I had slid off the driveway as I backed down it and found myself stuck in the snow. As I walked to grab the shovel, I saw one of our kids come outside dressed for the snow, holding a shovel walking my way.

If you are a parent, you understand that sometimes we ask our kids to do things. Yet there are seasons when they are less than interested in helping, and often far from being intrinsically motivated to lend a hand. (When I get frustrated by this, Stephen always reminds me that we were the same way at their age.)

Yet today when I saw our kid come to help without being asked, I was encouraged. They may not always be so willing to show up but they chose to show up when they saw an extra hand would be helpful.

I share this with you today because I know I am not the only parent who questions if what we are teaching their kids is sinking in. If you get this season of parenting I am talking about, I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we continue to pour into our kids, even when we think they are not listening. Lets pray that even though they may not always be intrinsically motivated to lend a hand or do what we ask, that they will when it matters.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

- Galatians 6:9

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Don't Wait for Perfection

Waiting for perfection?

What do I mean?

Do you ever wait for things to be perfect to move into action?

Me too.

Perfection is a hard thing to wrestle down and step over. I find it can cripple me at times, as I am a recovering perfectionist.

So today to help me move forward - and hopefully help some of you move forward too- I wanted to invite you into my messy mind and space.

I am officially moved out of my cloffice (closet-office) and am creating a space in our basement as an office.

Today I am tempted to make everything pretty in order to be productive with my work. Yet the reality is, my kids have early dismissals and I have a choice, to wait for perfection or sit in the mess and get the work done I have to do.

I will choose the latter.

I share this today with you in case you are in a messy place too and waiting for things to be perfect to get started.

I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

Lets get real with ourselves and each other that perfection is unattainable and often a noble distraction. Instead let’s embrace the messiness of imperfection. Yes, our social media feeds call us to make things perfect, and more people may ‘like’ my picture if it was all together yet I am here to live from the inside out with you; letting God’s truth and love lead us, not the unrealistic expectations of ourselves or others.

So let’s choose to do the work we are called to do today even if that means we are sitting in a messy place to do it. And may this choice make us a little more free from our perfectionist mentality.

With love and hope,

Shawn

My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.- 2 Corinthians 12:9

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Love Is Patient

This is a typical view on our family walks - Stephen walking beside Matt as Matt takes his time exploring the path we are on.

I admittedly at times want them to move quicker. Yet the reality is, I could be more patient myself and slow down for them and enjoy their pace, and company.

Love is patient.

Sometimes I forget to practice it.

I share this today in case you too find yourself being impatient with others, or yourself. I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we be a light of love by practicing being patient with others, and ourself. It’s a beneficial practice that can get us beyond the pull of the hurry and rest in the calm that being patient brings. Growing our patience may be just what we need to find the pace in life worth moving at so we will see the beauty that life has to offer, like Matt sees on our family walks.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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.

- 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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Middle and High Schoolers, We See You and Are Here for You

This morning I saw something that broke my heart. I dropped my son off at middle school and I saw a kid get out of their car, put on their backpack and start walking towards the school. The thing was, this kid’s shoulders were drooped and her head was low, and you could tell it was more than the backpack that was weighing her down.

My heart broke for this kid as her external body displayed the weight of her internal world. Yet I know the next kid behind her who walked with his head up could be feeling the same way yet has trained his outer being to not show the truth of his heavy heart. (I know this from my own experience.)

I am sharing this today because I want every middle and high schooler to know that we understand how these years can be challenging. Layer on social media and now a pandemic, it may seem like an insurmountable feat to get through this season. Yet you can and you will get through this. Step by step, day by day.

Here are things I wish someone had told me back then and/or that I wish I believed. In hearing these, I hope they benefit you.

- Not every thought you have is true.

- You really do matter.

- Gratitude can shift perspective.

- It’s not a weakness to let someone in and let them know you’re not okay.

- There are people who truly care about you and love you for who you are.

- “Your value does not decrease based on someone's inability to see your worth.”

- Ask a close family member or friend to remind you of your true worth when you forget it.

- God is real and has purpose for you.

- Your future self will be so grateful you persevered through this season.

I wholeheartedly wish I could make every single one of you see yourself as the unique person you are who has divine worth.

Even though I can’t make you believe this, I pray you take a step closer to believing this truth, and away from any lies you’ve been believing in its place. So when you walk, your head is up looking forward to your future and the hope that it brings with a heart that believes that you add value and have purpose...because you do

With love and hope,

Shawn

P.S. To every person who is on the other side of middle and high school, I ask you to join me today to reach out to the teens in your life. May we be sure we let them know that we see them, we are here to listen to them, we love them and are not here to judge them. We care about them, and that they never need to navigate these days, or years, alone.

Feel free to share this with any middle or high schooler who may need to hear this.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” - Jeremiah 29:11

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