The past week and a half have been challenging. I won’t be sharing the details as they aren’t just mine to share. My inner world has felt much like this scene, bare.

I have been wrestling through heavy emotions and seeking God to show me His truth and the lessons I am learning through in this season.

Some days my heart is filled with hope and other days I get stuck in the negative thought patterns.

This is the truth of my heart.

Yet I know I am not alone, as there is someone out there right now in the same struggle. I share this with you today, not for sympathy, but because we need to know others go through this too. And yes, although I spend my days encouraging others, the truth behind my words of encouragement come because of I have experienced struggles, not because I have been without them. And so a new struggle is before me and I know God will get me through, in time.

Whether you or someone you know has moments, days or is in a season of emptiness, I invite you to join me to... pause. breathe. pray.

As I walked along the bare trail this morning I felt like God was showing me that this emptiness I have experienced recently is preparing me for something new to grow, in time. Just as in time this trail will once again will be bursting with life, the same is true for you, and for me.

As hard as it may be to be thankful through the struggles, may we practice gratitude and give thanks for the bare seasons and what they teach us. Rather than letting our emotions rule us, may we seek God’s truth as our compass, and the lessons we are learning. May we do this so when the time comes, we can use this experience to help someone else and scatter the seeds of truth and love we have learned their way. May our experience then give hope to others that their bare season will pass in time, and something new will grow for them too.

With love and hope,

Shawn

“...Be transformed by the renewing of your mind...” - Romans 12:2