Don't Fear A Fall

This weekend Matt and I have had some quality time together on some new trails.

As I watched Matt snowboarding I noticed he didn’t fear falling. He accepted it as part of the learning process. After he’d fall he would hop back up and keep on going without missing a beat.

Then there is me.

My goal when I ski is to not fall. Yet watching Matt helped me realize that I will never get better at skiing if I don’t challenge myself and accept that I will fall at times.

I share this with you in case any of you can relate to me while on skis - or in life. If so, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we not fear falling, either literally into the snow, or falling short on a goal we have for ourselves. Instead may remember that falling is a teacher if we allow it to be. May we recognize that growth can be hard and may hurt, but sometimes the greatest growth happens after a fall when we choose to get back up and keep going, like Matt does on his snowboard.

With love and hope,

Shawn

for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again - Proverbs 24:16

Brighter Days

Is anyone else excited it is staying lighter later?

I took this at 4:30 today as I walked in to coach a practice. Just a couple of weeks ago it was dark when we headed in to practice. I am so grateful for the brighter days ahead

With love and hope,

Shawn

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. - John 1:5

May We Do the Same

Towards the beginning of the pandemic I remember walking on the trail and feeling overwhelmed by the circumstances. I was paralyzed in fear and I was having trouble resting in God’s love. On the walk I felt like God spoke to my heart and said, “if you stayed in this paralyzed place in fear, I still love you.”

This moment really hit me hard because I was reminded that God loves me where I am - whether I am messy or put together, stuck or loving on others, fearful or faithful, etc.

His love never changes.

I share this with you today in case you needed to be reminded that you are loved where you are, as you are - because you are. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

No matter where we are today may we remember that God loves and accepts us as we are. May we do the same for ourselves, and for others. When we put this truth into practice it will help soften the hard and make it possible for more love and peace to grow within, as I experienced that day on the trail.

With love and hope,

Shawn

“…God is love…” - 1 John 4:8

Invite God In

This year before setting any resolutions or goals for myself I’m going to try something new - pray first.

Why?

Because the reality for me is, a goal set is something I chase after. Yet if it isn’t aligned with what God wants for me, do I really want to chase after it?

I share this in case you too make a list of expectations for yourself at the start of the year that have you hit the ground running. I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we make space to invite God in first, before we make our plans. Rather than chasing after the wind, I pray this year we find ourselves chasing after what truly matters most, God. I wholeheartedly believe it is when we choose to put God first, we will gain perspective about what else it is we really need to put on our lists to help us grow, from the inside out, into the person God made us to be.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things…

- Jeremiah 33:3

Happy New Year

We are finishing 2021 in quarantine like so many others. One of the many things this year has taught me is where I look matters. And for quite some time this year my eyes have been focused on the unknowns, the uncertainties, etc. Yet these past five days in quarantine have reminded me that there will always be wind and waves in life, yet we’re not meant to stare at the waves and wind, but above them.

And so as we close out this unique year, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

As we enter this New Year, 2022, may we give thanks for another year. May we aim to seek God first this year, above the wind and waves of the unknowns and uncertainties. For we will never have the peace we desire when we are focused on struggle. Yet we will find peace when we look to God, who is our refuge and strength, an ever present help in trouble.

Cheers friends to a year of wellness, health, peace, blessings and keeping our eyes fixed above our circumstances, on God.

Happy New Year!

With love and hope,

Shawn

Matthew 14:29-33

May Your Soul Know Its Worth

I have been listening to Christmas music for at least a month now. These lyrics caught my attention recently. I figured I would share them in case you sing along and don’t pay attention to half the words you sing, like I do most of the time.

I invite you to join me this Christmas Eve to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May these words remind us where our worth lies and that we have a reason to remain hopeful and rejoice, even when we are weary.

Merry Christmas Eve, friends!

With love,

Shawn

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. - Romans 12:12

It's Okay to Be Broken

I am broken.

A dear friend said these words to me this week. In hearing my friend’s heart, I shared too that I had been feeling broken as well. I don’t share this for pity or sympathy for me or my friend, but to recognize and honor that people feel broken - even during the “most wonderful time of the year.”

In this raw and honest conversation, I heard my friend’s heart and I freely shared mine.

It was refreshing to stop trying to present myself as whole.

Everyday so many of us present ourselves as whole to our families, friends, co-workers, online, etc.

Yet what life has taught me is that we aren’t meant to be whole- in our attempt to be whole is part of what hurts us - rather than admitting our brokenness which is part of what will heal us.

This beautiful quote from has been on my heart since the conversation.

“The seed breaks to give us the wheat. The soil breaks to give us the crop, the sky breaks to give us the rain, the wheat breaks to give us the bread. And the bread breaks to give us the feast.”

- @annvoskamp , The Broken Way

These nourishing words remind me that there is beauty in the brokenness. God will take what is broken and use it for good, in time. We just need to invite Him into the brokenness and stop trying to be whole and doing it all on our own.

If you too are feeling broken, or know someone who is, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we allow ourselves to be broken. As Ernest Hemingway said, “We are all broken. That’s how the light gets in.”

We live in a broken world and are broken people. As I said to my friend, “there is always something going on with ourselves or someone we care about, right?”

But let us not lose heart in the brokenness. That is why Jesus was born. To bring light into the darkness. To bring healing and peace this world will not give us.

May we stop trying to be whole and allow ourselves to admit our brokenness. And into that brokenness, may we invite God in so His light of love can help us heal, and direct our steps.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Bring the Joy

Yesterday I had a student come up to me all excited. “Mrs. George, I brought joy to my friend!”

I repeated what I thought I heard to make sure I heard her right. “You brought joy to your friend?”

“Yes!” my student said excitedly.

Then she proceeded to share how she brought her friend joy by inviting her to read with her after her friend had been disappointed about something.

Bringing joy to others.

What a beautiful thought and practice.

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

pause. breathe. pray.

In this season of giving, may we think beyond the thing in which we give, and consider if we are bringing joy to others. And maybe it isn’t even something we bring to someone that will bring them joy. Maybe bringing joy to someone is giving them our presence, and even reading beside them, as was the case with my students.

With love and joy,

Shawn

“And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.”

- Matthew 2:9-10

Surrender Expectations

Do any of you set unrealistic expectations for yourself?

Me too.

I found myself saying these words one day recently as I was overwhelmed by what I expected of myself. I realized I needed to surrender my expectations to reality and truth. When I stepped back and saw what I was expecting of myself and the reality of the amount of time I had, I saw how unrealistic my expectations were. The truth is God gave us a finite amount of time each day. He gave us enough time to do the things we need to do, but there isn’t always enough time to do all we want to do.

If you too find yourself having unrealistic expectations of yourself, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we come to prayer to have God help us sift through what we need to do versus all we want to do. May we surrender our expectations to reality and truth to give us a fresh perspective we can walk through this season with. And when our minds try and trick us that we can do all we want to do, may we remind ourselves we don’t have to do and be it all everyday. That’s not our job, it’s God’s.

With love and hope,

Shawn

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. - Psalm 90:12

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