Testimony Tuesday with Shannon

Yesterday on our Facebook page, I invited you to share a piece of your story with us and tell us what God’s been doing in your life lately. Today, I wanted to share a small piece of mine in hopes that it will bring your heart some encouragement if you’re sitting in the wait…

You see, after traveling through a very difficult season, God began to gently press on my heart to share my story. And as you’ll gather from this excerpt, I was immediately filled with reluctance and doubt. But following through on His nudge, His gentle press, has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. He is for us, friends. He is with us. His plan is always filled with love and blessings. So, with all that said, here’s a small piece of my story that God has recently been working on…

Just in case you’re new to our blog, I want to give you a bit of a back story…

We have a book coming out in the next couple of months. It’s titled A Time to Dance: Chasing Joy in Difficult Seasons and it’s all about leaning in and truly clearing the clutter, redefining who we are in Him and refocusing on where He is taking us, even in the most difficult seasons. The first part of this story will share with you how the book came about. The second part will share with you my recent testimony of how God has been at work in my life since writing the book.

“One night last spring, I found myself up late, reading in bed, after my entire family had all gone to sleep. There was nothing innately special or unique about this night, but friends, it was about to be. You see, I closed the book, preparing to tuck in, and I suddenly heard God speak to my heart…

“I want you to write a book.”

I think I may have actually laughed out loud. I can clearly remember my immediate reaction and somewhat argumentative response…

“Write a book? God, no way! What do I have to offer? I’m nothing special. Nothing at all. What can I possibly contribute that would make a difference? And, PS… with what time?”

I’m not really sure what I expected, but I can tell you with one hundred percent certainty that I definitely didn’t expect everything that transpired next…

Like the patient Father that He is, God just let the discussion hang in the air between us. His gentle nudge. My stubborn push back. He made no further attempt to discuss the matter with me that night. Satisfied that I had made a solid and indisputable argument on my end, I fell asleep shortly after our little one-sided tiff.

Sometimes people ask me how I’ve grown to trust that I’m hearing God’s voice. Here’s just one example…

When I woke up the next morning, friends, I had a text message on my phone from someone in my life that, for completely unrelated reasons, I had shared a blog post with earlier that week. The message sitting on my phone read, verbatim…

“I think you have a book in you.”

Coincidence? Yes… and yet, my friends, not random at all. A total God moment.

I kid you not… At this point, I know I laughed out loud.

Okay, God. I’m listening. Sorry for arguing… but for the record, I still think you’re crazy. PS, God… with what time?

The next week, I received a call. It was the final and last confirmation that I needed to let go of my reservations, fears, opinions and arguments and simply take the step of faith that He was calling me to make. You see, my department chair at the college where I taught was relaying an important update regarding my job. I would not be needed in my adjunct instructor position for the upcoming semester because they had interviewed and hired a full-time instructor to cover all of the adjunct classes. I was free to explore other positions for the time being.

Well, alright, God. Fine. We will do this your way.”

I spent the next year unsure of where God was taking me with His calling to write a book. He would walk me through healing and He would press on my heart to write. He would walk me through more healing and again, He would press on my heart to write. The cycle continued over and over for months, but I still had no idea where we were headed. I sat in the wait, following His nudges, but confused and often impatient.

Until suddenly, one completely unexpected, random, and uneventful day, He unveiled His plan and I was left in a mess of tears…

You see, God began to take pieces of my story… pieces of my healing… pieces of my writing… and move through them. And as He lined everything up like a giant puzzle, suddenly the book was sitting there, my journey laid out on paper, His love and encouragement shared. His heart, His hope, His goodness already filling the pages. The book was done. I, WE, had been writing it all along. And oh, how I praised Him for letting me be a part of something so powerful.

And suddenly the truth hit me…

Had I known I was writing the book, it would have changed the way that I allowed my vulnerability, my raw, my true story to come through. And in His all-knowing wisdom, He had simply asked me to follow Him, to trust Him, and to lean into Him. And as I did, He unveiled His beautiful plan with perfect timing, as He always does.

Now, fast forward to today…

I would love to share with you my recent testimony of what God has been doing in my life SINCE writing the book (which will be released in June):

Regarding the book, it was a beautiful few months as it all came together, but I would be lying if I told you that I didn’t miss being a college instructor. I understood the shift – God needed to make space for what He was calling me to do – but a piece of me desperately missed that part of my life. I love (LOVE) working with my students and they become a piece of my heart every semester.

And then…

A week after I shipped copies of my book out for editing, I received a call completely out of the blue!

My dream college… The college that made me want to be an instructor to begin with… the college that I had not reached out to for at least a year or more… was suddenly on the other end of the line…

We would like for you to join our family. We would like for you to teach for us.

And there it was.

The tears poured.

A future more incredible than I even dreamed for myself anymore.

There it was.

But, Jesus!

So friend… if you’re sitting in the wait. If you’re faithfully watering what He has planted… hold on a little longer… He’s working in the unseen and He’s moving you into places that you cannot even imagine. Believe in His goodness and His plan for your life.

I’m praying heavily over our upcoming book (A Time to Dance: Chasing Joy in Difficult Seasons) and I encourage you to sign up to Subscribe to our newsletter on this site so that you can receive updates regarding its upcoming release date and availability. I really believe in this book, it’s from the heart and from the hard, and I believe mostly in the healing power of Jesus!

We are always praying for you, my friend, and hoping that you find encouragement, support, hope, and love here on our site. If you’re new to us, follow us on Facebook as well! We would love to get to know you individually! Please drop us a comment if you need us to pray for something specific for you today. You are always on our hearts.

Blessings, friends