Isaiah 43:18-19

One night recently I was looking back at pictures of Gavin over the past seventeen years to make something for him. It was hard for me to process where time had gone. My little boy was now this young man soon heading off on his own. In my prayer time the next morning, there was a verse in my devotional that was divine timing. It read:

“do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!”
- Isaiah 43:18-19

This verse in Isaiah was exactly what I needed to read.

It is okay to look back yet God doesn’t want us to stay and dwell there. Instead, He wants us to be present and trust He is doing something new. And as someone who is sentimental and can get caught up in the memories of the past, this verse gave me a new view of Gavin’s graduation and the next few months before he heads off to college. God wants me to enjoy the moments and the time with Gavin, not in a “hold on tight and never let go way.” He wants me to be present and trust He is “doing something new” for Gavin, and for our family. “Something new” doesn’t mean bad or wrong, just different.

I share this with you today in case you are in a season of change as well. I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we look back but not dwell in the past. Instead, may we take God’s Word and trust that He is doing something new. And with that Truth, may we find ourselves settling into the present moment and look ahead with joyful anticipation of what is to come, for each of us, including Gavin. And when the waves of emotion come, may we allow ourselves to experience them, and then return back to this verse, as much as we need to, as a truth to help us through.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Use Time Wisely

Sunday we were all together. We were outside. We went slow. We laughed a lot. We sat around our fire pit. Matt played his guitar. We ate and chilled out together. These four gave me the most precious gift for Mother’s Day, their time.

On Monday life was back to normal, all of us going our separate ways. The time together on Sunday was fuel in my soul. Yet the reality is, moments like Sunday aren’t the standard anymore like it once was. And as much as I love those moments, they aren’t what I can rely on for my fuel, as I admittedly have for a long time.

I have been praying how to use the margin of time that is growing in my life. I don’t have an answer to what that is yet. Instead of filling all the gaps, I am finding myself sitting in some of them.

It is uncomfortable.

Yet life has taught me, sometimes it is in the uncomfortable spaces where we grow the most.

So for now, I am giving thanks for the sweet moments like Sunday with my family, and being prayerful to use the growing margin wisely.

I share this with you today in case you are in a similar place. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

The gift of time together is precious. Let’s treasure it when we get it and absorb the love shared. May we remember it’s okay to be in this uncomfortable place. Let’s pray for God’s love to fuel us and help us use the growing margin of time wisely.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Teach me to number my days so that I may gain a heart of wisdom.
-Psalm90:12

Happy Mother's Day - A Lesson from My Mom

I hope all you Moms had a blessed Mother’s Day!💕🙏💐

As I was thinking about my Mom, the greatest lesson she has taught me in life are five simple words she would say while I was growing up. Living in an affluent town, we may have not had, or did, all the things other people did but my Mom always would say, “We are rich in love.”

And “rich in love” we were, and are!

These three words are the perfect reflection of my mom’s heart. She loves to love others, from our family to her students (when she taught), to her friends and her neighbors. If there is a need she always wants to lend a hand. She is rich in love - and - she is love in action.

She is patient.
She is kind.
She does not envy.
She is humble.
She is slow to anger.
She honors others.
She is not self-seeking.
She is not easily angered.
She doesn’t keep record of wrongs.
She rejoices with the God’s truth.
She protects.
She trusts.
She hopes.
She perseveres.
( based on 1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

She is rich in love.

I share all of this with you today to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we give thanks for our Moms, or the mother figures, in our lives. May we pray to always remember the wise lessons they teach us. And may we be rich in love, through our words and actions, so that others will experience God’s love through us, as I do through my Mom.

With gratitude and love,
Shawn

Senior Mom Moment

Last night I allowed myself to cry. I didn’t realize how badly I needed that release. Life is changing, again. Kate and Gavin will be at college in the fall, and Matt will be the solo child at home. I am realizing this transitional time is something I need to grieve. I know the word grieve may seem like a lot but it’s real for me. I truly treasure the beautiful seasons of life with my family and I’ve recognized that it isn’t easy for me to let go and move on to the new seasons as easily as others do, or appear to. I eventually do, and will, yet reflecting on the gift of all these years being a stay at home Mom with Kate, Gavin and Matt is something I will forever treasure.

I know the next season will have its own beauty, as every season does. Yet the reality is, moving on is not a light switch I can just flip to the next season. I need to gradually make my way into the new season. And if at times that requires having a good cry, so be it.

I share this today for anyone else who is in a transitional season. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we be willing to sit with ourselves and process our emotions as we transition seasons. It’s okay to not be okay at times. Yet may we always remember that this too shall pass, and may we trust that the next season will have a new kind of beauty, and may we give thanks for being here to send them off and watch them step into their future selves.

With love and hope,
Shawn

"I don’t always feel it, but that’s when I need it the most"

“I don’t always feel it, but that’s when I need it the most.” - Brandon Lake, Hard Fought Hallelujah

These words couldn’t be more true.

Don’t you often find the thing you need to do, that will bless you, or others, is often the thing you find yourself most resistance to?

For me, I have two things I am working on and the reality is, this week I have yet to feel like working on either of them. Yet I continue to sludge through the mud to work towards completing them.

Why?

Because my future self will thank me for it, and more importantly, I know it will please God that I do these because they benefit other people.

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

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember that our feelings can mislead us, yet truth will lead us well. May we pray to know the difference so that we gain clarity about is ours to do, or not do.

And for all who are trudging through the mud when you don’t feel like it because you know it’s the wise choice, know I see you, and get you. May we choose to patiently persevere towards what we need to do and trust the feelings will come, even if it’s when all is said and done.

With love and hope,
Shawn

LOVE IN ACTION (WATCH THIS!)

CLICK PICTURE TO VIEW THE VIDEO

 

A week ago today was the Boston Marathon. This beautiful moment was captured and shared by many. I wanted to share this with you today as we start out week as a reminder of how we are called to live.

In Proverbs 16:9, it reads, we are to make out plans but let the Lord direct out steps.

This video is a beautiful example of that truth in action. Pedro, the runner, has his plans to finish the race. Yet he saw a fellow runner struggling and instead of choosing to complete his plan, he aligned with God's, which is to "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matt 22:40) and "to treat others the way you want to be treated." (Matt. 7:12)

Pedro was quoted afterwards, "I lost gained one minute to my marathon time so that he could finish his race."

Pedro's wife shared that his goal time was to finish the marathon in 2 hours and 40 minutes or less. He finished at 2 hours and 41 minutes. His wife shared, "He dreamed about a sub 2:40 and when he were ALMOST there, God used him to lose a few minutes and do something with much more meaning."

I share this story with you as it is God's love and faith in action as we are called to live in our days.  No we aren't all running a marathon, but we are running the marathon of life today, and every day, for God. As we enter this new day, and this new week, I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make our plans yet may we keep our eyes and ears open to those in need along out path. May we not be so focused on accomplishing our plans that we miss the opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ to those along the way. And may we, like Pedro, even be willing to sacrifice our own goals, so that others have the chance of meeting theirs.

I pray this message encourages you. Wishing you a blessed week, friend!

With love and hope,

Shawn 

 

A Little Jesus

One of my sisters introduced me to “little Jesus.” She was given them at her church to put around her house as a reminder that “a little Jesus makes a big difference.”

So I bought a lot of little Jesus’ to hide around my house, and to give away. When they arrived I hid a few and left the bagful on the counter.

The night before I headed to Boston I walked into the kitchen and one of the kids had decided to empty the bag and leave little Jesus’ everywhere.

I don’t know that my kid knew what this act of love did for me that night and just how much I needed to focus my attention on Jesus. Also, I needed the good laugh this gave me.

And a little Jesus truly made a big difference.

I share this with you today with Easter the horizon. I don’t know if you believe in Jesus or not. And I get it if you don’t, as most of my life I didn’t. What I realized though is I didn’t believe in Jesus because of people who misrepresented him. I actually didn’t really know Jesus. When I started to get to know Jesus, beyond the people I struggled with, I couldn’t help but believe in Him.

There will always be people who are Christians who will misrepresent Jesus, myself included. Why? Because no one is God therefore no one perfect. Yet let’s not allow people to be a stumbling block to the one who truly will make a big difference in our lives.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember that Jesus is the selfless leader who chose to spend his time with people others in society didn’t want to associate with. He is a compassionate leader who helped those in need. He is a powerful person, who had all the authority of God, yet never used that power for his own benefit, only to bless others. He is a humble soul who chose to sacrifice his own life for the lives of others, including for you and me. Jesus offers us peace, hope, courage, strength, compassion, love and so much more.

So if you need someone to help calm the storms of your heart and mind, like I did the other night, may you remember a little Jesus can make a big difference in your life.

With love and hope,
Shawn

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