Experience the Simple Joys

His joy is contagious.

This week I’ve been a bit paralyzed by the unknown as my scans are on the horizon. Yet when I watch Matt ride the waves with joy, I am reminded that God doesn’t want me to be paralyzed in the fear of the unknown but wants me to experience the joy the day has, even in the wait.

So yesterday I got off my chair and grabbed a boogie board and had a blast with our family in the water.

I share this today to say to the person who is stuck in the fear of an unknown right now, or is going through a hard season, I get it. Sometimes I stay stuck and other times I’m able to break free and live.

If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we ask God to help us keep our eyes fixed on Him, above the waves of the unknown. When we are able to do this, there is a freedom within to live the day more fully. God will help us trust Him with our circumstances and give us the fruits of joy and peace, in place of the fear and unknown, that will allow us to experience the simple joys in life, like I was able to do with my family yesterday, and pray to be able to do again today. And I pray the same for you too.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.

- Romans 15:13

Set Realistic Goals

Gav and I have been going to the batting cages a bunch this summer. He was focused the other day on getting 10 out of 10 in one of the drills he was doing.

He was getting close but would miss one and then start again. We had to leave the cages to go to an appointment so I lowered the goal for time sake. He was still determined to get 10 out of 10.

I heard myself say, “focus on progress, not perfection.”

Have you ever said something to your child, or someone else, and you realize the message is for you too?

After saying those words I felt like God whispered to my heart, “practice that yourself too.”

Admittedly I am a perfectionist. Not in that my house or car are clean, because they are often, especially my car, a disaster. But I expect a lot out of myself each day and when I don’t meet my goals, like Gavin, I am hard on myself.

Can you relate? If so, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we stop trying to be perfect and set realistic goals for ourselves. Stephen always reminds me to say what I did do that day rather than focusing on what I didn’t accomplish. And like I did with Gavin, may we set realistic goals for our timeframe so when we walk away we have gratitude for the progress we made rather than beating ourselves up mentally for not being perfect.

God says in his word to practice his word, not perfect it, so if God isn’t expecting perfection from us, why are we?

With love and hope,

Shawn

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Put into practice what you learned and received from me, both from my words and from my actions. And the God who gives us peace will be with you.

- Philippians 4:9

Breaking Open

In my heart I love to garden but my practice of gardening hasn’t always been successful. This year I tried going smaller and have had more success, with the exception of deer getting to some of plants.

Whenever I go out to water or harvest, I am amazed at how all of this started from a seed. Recently I read something that intrigued me, how falling apart is different from breaking open.

When something falls apart, it breaks into pieces yet when something breaks open, something new is bound to grow.

If a seed is in pieces, it won’t grow but if it breaks open, look at what happens.

And the same principle holds true for me, and you.

If you ever have felt like you’re falling apart, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

When we are in moments where we feel like we are falling apart, may we shift our words. Instead of thinking like nothing will get better may we consider saying, “I am breaking open for something new to grow,” and invite God into the brokenness. May we trust He will help something new grow in His time, as He did here with a seed.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland. - Isaiah 43:19

Experience Kindness

Yesterday I was pulling into a parking spot and a guy got out of his car and waved at me to stop. He proceeded to move this shopping cart to be sure it wasn’t in my spot. It wasn’t really in my way but he made sure it was completely out of my path. Then he got back in his car.

That was it.

Here was a guy who was sitting in his car who chose to get out and help someone else just because, and for no recognition.

Acts of love, no matter how big or small, make a difference in the heart of the giver, and the receiver.

I’m sharing this with you today because this simple act of love warmed my heart and I hope it warms yours too. In this world where what is wrong in the world is amplified, I believe it’s important we still shine a light on the love that flows, no matter how big or small the act of love is.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

A prayer I pray over my family daily is that we choose to live out love to those along our path throughout our days as a light of God’s love to others. Also, that we are open and willing to receive the love God has put along our path each day. I share this prayer with you as an encouragement. In this world where what is going wrong is trying to grab and hold our attention, may we instead choose to give our attention to looking for ways to live out love towards others and keep our eyes open to the love God has out along our path, like I was fortunate to experience by the kindness of this man yesterday.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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You reap what you sow - Galatians 6:7

Quiet the Noise

These words really captured my heart and have inspired me to be more purposeful about what I fix my eyes and ears on each day. I am seeking to experience less noise and instead be more present and have greater clarity within.

I’m sharing this quote with you in case your head has a tendency to be noisy as well. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember what we put our eyes and ears on is what will either turn up the noise, or quiet it. May we be intentional and directional, fixing our eyes and ears on what will quiet the noise within, beginning with our time with God.  From there, may we focus on what will keep the quiet within so we are more present with those we are with and we have greater clarity in our head, and in our days.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith…

- Hebrews 12:2

Go Slow

I don’t know about you but I often can overcomplicate life, for example, I am wonderful at overthinking and staying busy. And this year going back to teaching, I left myself little margin for anything else but doing.

My head was filled with constant chatter where sadly at times I would be with my family and someone would be talking to me but my head was so noisy I had to ask them to repeat themselves. Not only did I lack margin in my brain space but I held myself to strict schedules leaving little room for being and writing, which nourish my soul.

When I stood in this place on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland I felt free and spacious, not only in the physical sense but within. Here I stood with God and vividly saw that less is more.

This moment brought me back to when I was diagnosed with cancer. One day I pictured myself sitting on a hillside watching the trains of society fly by and God spoke to my heart, “you’re off those trains now. Be with me and I’ll show you a better way.”

And I experienced His way where less is more, where peace rules hearts and minds, where living out love is the key to unlocking joy within no matter the circumstances.

This year I had hopped back on those fast trains.

Yet what God is revealing to me, again, is that I am not a passenger on the train, but the driver.

And with that humbling wisdom I am sitting with God, in a more spacious place, this summer. I am praying about how to drive a slower train this year - or hop on a bike instead. I pray to find a pace in life where my mind is quieter and I hear my family when they speak, where I say no to what is unnecessary even when it’s hard to do, where I spend more time with God throughout my day instead of in my circling thoughts.

If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make the time to be with God everyday. And may this not be a checklist item on our to do lists. May we spend our quiet time with God but also remain in conversation with God throughout our day; giving thanks, praying for the people we encounter in our days, asking for wisdom about a problem we have, listening to God, etc. May our relationship with God be the strong thread woven into the fabric of our days. May we do this so that even when life tries to make us feel like passengers on the fast trains of society again, instead we experience what it feels like to be with God on an Irish countryside where His Truth speaks clearly to our hearts and we have freedom and spaciousness within.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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“…pray without ceasing…”

- 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Hear the Stories of Those Before Us

Being in Ireland with my family was an experience I will always treasure. It wasn’t just about being on vacation, but we went back to the city where my Nane was born, in Cork.

We stood outside the home she was born in and we walked through the doorway she walked through in 1928, at the age of 16, with her father to take a boat to NY. This was the same doorway the last passengers who boarded the Titanic walked through as well.

In standing in these places, it made me rewind and put myself in my Nane’s shoes.

When I stood outside her home with our family, it made me see how one person’s life gives birth to so many others. I say this not only for me but to you too. Our life isn’t just what is before us, or about us, but for many of us, our life is a starting place for the generations that will follow.

When I stood at the doorway of the Star Line company with my family, picturing my Nane standing here, the same age ad Kate, with her father and their luggage, all I could think of was a quote I recently heard…

“Courage is fear that has said it’s prayers.”

And our Nane was courageous. Stepping away with her father from all she knew into the unknown was an act of courage. And one that was a stepping stone to meeting my grandfather in NY.

Walking in my Nane’s footsteps made me see how I long for comfort in life, but often it is getting out of our comfort zone where growth happens.

I share this with you today to encourage us too to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make the time to look back and hear the stories of those who came before us. For so many it was not a life of ease and comfort but of trials and courage, of faith and hope. May we learn from the past and look forward with greater clarity to our days, and consider the question, “when future generations look back and learn our story, how will our story inspire them to live courageously?,” as my Nane’s life has inspired me to do.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—and I will meditate on your wonderful works. - Psalm 145:4-5

Celebrating Love

Celebrating 18 years beside this wonderful guy

“God we're so lucky, we’ll see so many skies

Every adventure with your hand in mine

No matter the weather

My partner for life….

Yeah I'll tell the whole world that you mean the world to me”

- So Many Skies

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Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. - Romans 12:10

The Thin Spaces

“Thin places are….where God is at work. Time seems to stand still, there is a discernable sense of sacredness and the world around us speaks its own story to those who are listening.”

- Julianne Stanz

The Other Side of Fear

We are on a beauitful trip to Ireland. This year my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary and invited my brother, sisters and our families to go to Ireland with them.

To get here though was a bit of a hurdle. I am a homebody, and the thought of traveling can send a wave of panic through my body.

Yet I did it.

With the help of God through prayer, asking friends to pray for me and trying anxiety meds for the first time for the flight, I conquered the fear and arrived in Ireland, where my grandmother is from.

I share this with you today because I know I am not the only one who has fears that can paralyze them at times. If you do too, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we not allow fear to stop us from living and loving. Instead may we lean hard into God and trust that He will help us through the fear, whether that is through prayer alone and/or by providing us support to help us through, so we get to experience what is in the other side of the fear; which for me this time is being with my whole family in Ireland to celebrate my parents and our family’s history.

With love and hope,

Shawn

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“I sought the Lord, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears.” - Psalm 34:4