“Fall Into Me” A 4-Week Trust Fall Into Our Heavenly Father’s Arms

Fall… it’s a season of change. It’s a quite visual demonstration of how beautiful it can be to let go. Living in the Colorado mountains, we marvel every year at the colorful show put on by our aspen trees. We embrace the transformation and stand in awe of the changes that God is creating all around us. What a beautiful and delightful time!

But, guess what? As I marvel at the beautiful changing of the seasons all around me, I am reminded by the Holy Spirit that God isn’t just the Creator of change in nature. He’s also changing things in my heart. And He’s changing things in yours too.

Right now, you are going through a season. Sometimes it’s so joyful and you marvel at its beauty. Other times, it’s hard, really hard. Sometimes the letting go hurts and sometimes not knowing what the future holds is scary. But, He is reminding us that He holds our future and we are invited to free fall into His arms and trust His love.

He is with us in the change. He is guiding us in the letting go. He knows our tomorrow. And more importantly, He is already there.

Today, I am inviting you to take the next 28 days with me to focus on how we can embrace our own season of change, our own season of letting go, and fall into His arms. Let’s close our eyes, lean in, and learn to trust in His promises.

Then, like the trees and the flowers around us, we will bloom again. We will awaken in a new season. We will be transformed! God will give us a renewed sense of strength and purpose and we will feel alive again! I am beyond ready for this journey. It is long overdue. How about you? Take a step of faith with me… Join us for the next 28 days!

As I dipped my toes in the sand and watched the waves of an incoming storm beat against the shore, I began to think about an earlier conversation between my dad and I. A question still lingered in my mind hours after it was asked. A question that felt so relevant to the journey that we are starting today: “What would make you step out of that boat?”

You know the story. I’m talking about Peter. Raging seas. Huge waves. And there was Jesus. “Trust me. Believe that I love you. Let go. Fall into Me.” And as I stood there and listened to the waves slam against the sand, I wondered… “What would it take for me to step out of that boat?”

What about you?

What would it take to fully let go and fall into His arms? What storm are you facing right now that has left you bruised and in pain? What fear is holding your heart hostage?

Jesus, I’m scared. Jesus, I’m trembling inside. Jesus, I feel lost and alone. Jesus, I feel ashamed and buried and crushed under all this weight. I want to give it all to you, I really do… but I just don’t know how.

Can I make a suggestion? We aren’t expected to blindly trust or release control into the hands of a God that we don’t know.

“Fall Into Me” is not a motto of “willing yourself into submission” (doesn’t work) or “fake it until you make it” (definitely doesn’t work). It’s an invitation to deepen your relationship with Him. An opportunity to let Him love you, heal you, and show you (or remind you) who you are and Whose you are.

When we focus on our relationship with Him, instead of the storm, we are reminded that He is a loving Father, a provider (even when the way seems impassible to our eyes), a protector, and a tender voice that encourages our heart and blankets our pain and fear with His touch.

And as you allow Him to show you who He is and how much He loves you, over and over, you’ll find that placing your heart in His hands becomes natural, a welcomed fruit of your experience of God’s goodness.

And then, you begin to step out of the boat during even the most difficult storms because you remember… I know that man named Jesus. I love Him and He loves me. And I trust Him.

I’m ready. How about you? He’s calling us.

Fall Into Me. Let Me Heal You. Let Me Hold You. Don’t fear where I’m taking you. I’m already there.

Blessings today, my friends!

How to Use Your Journal Over the Next 28 Days:

The goal of this journal is to simply document your journey with Him. We will be using it almost daily in this workshop-style series, but I also invite and encourage you to carry it with you and use it throughout your day. Document things that speak to you… words, quotes, song lyrics, insights). Write down the moments that God taps your heart or sends you a love note. Don’t filter. For four weeks, challenge yourself to not question. Just write it down. And when you feel challenged on this journey, reflect back on what He is teaching you. There is no specific format. Use paragraphs, bullets, simple one (or two) word notes or even art. This journey is not about me. It is about you and Him. Let Him guide you. Let Him heal you. Let Him show you who He is and who you are in Him. Pray over your journey and then open your heart and let Him pour over you.

The enemy is a master manipulator and liar. He will try to convince us that we are undeserving, unlovable, and unworthy. Why? Because it creates a block in our mind where we begin to process God’s voice through our own “truth filter” instead of truly hearing His heart. Here’s an excerpt from our “Chasing Joy” series:

When Jesus would say, “I love you,” my shame would answer, “you can’t possibly.”

When Jesus would say, “I am here,” my perfectionism would answer, “I’m not good enough yet.”

When Jesus would say, “I can heal that,” my need for control would answer, “but, I can’t give it to you.”

When Jesus would say, “I have a calling on your life,” my unhealed heart would respond, “I’m too broken.”

God was always speaking to me, loving me, pouring out over me, but I wasn’t receptive to it because of barriers that I had built between His voice and my heart. It is a process of removing the clutter (lies that I had accepted into my identity) so that I could hear and receive His heart. A process of building a relationship with Him. A process of drawing closer to Him so that I could learn what He’s been speaking all along.

You are not working towards a healing that makes you somehow more worthy of God’s outpouring of love. You are simply working to remove the noise so that you can hear and feel what He has been pouring over you all along. You are already worthy. You are already enough. And He already delights in you. He’s healing the clutter in your heart so that you can begin to see yourself the way that He sees you… absolutely beautiful. It’s not faults. It’s not shortcomings. It’s not a reflection of who you are and it does not define you. It’s just debris. And He’s healing it.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2:8

Blessings today, friends. And remember, He delights in you just as you are. Walk in the truth of His love today.

Excerpt from: 30 Days of Chasing Joy (https://raisingablessing.com/30-days-of-chasing-joy/)

*Dig a little deeper posts are where I’ll occasionally share quotes, insights, verses, or lyrics that speak to me during our “Fall Into Me” journey.

Our journal entry today may be difficult. It could bring some discomfort or even pain, if I’m being honest. But I believe in the One who heals and I’m leaning on Him to get me through.

It’s time to make the list. It will be hard, but I know I’m ready. I may even use a pencil when the heaviness of ink feels like more than I can handle. But, I won’t leave anything unsaid. Because this week, we are taking our lists to Jesus. We are going to be praying over our lists, editing our lists, and letting God show us His truths and His heart.

What list am I talking about? The list of all of the words that are tattooed on my heart and have become deeply woven into my identity. The good and the beautiful. The painful ones and the ones that bring joy. The truths and the lies. I will write them all.

The circumstances that I feel have defined me.

The opinions of others that were poured like concrete onto my heart, weighing down my spirit and diminishing my joy because I still carry them.

The mistakes that I’ve made.

The seasons that have changed me.

The hurt and pain that have labeled me and kept me stuck in a cycle of doubt, fear, and insecurity.

Or how about… the brand that the enemy has kept me enslaved with. The one or two word reminders that suck me back under that dark cloud, sometimes for days.

Today, I will write them all down.

Stupid.

Hypocrite.

Unworthy.

Unlovable.

Ugly.

Angry.

Reject.

Liar.

Unwanted.

Ashamed.

Anxious.

Not Enough….

any of those sound familiar?

It’s the painful ones that come to mind first and oh, how heavy they feel to actually write down. The way your heart squeezes and your stomach drops when your mind runs through the memory. I’m sorry, my friend. I’m truly sorry. But I promise that when we take this list to our Heavenly Father, we will walk away transformed. Push through the discomfort and walk with me. We will give it all to Him. We will not be bound by these anymore. This is our goodbye letter. Our healing is coming!

Now, challenge yourself… write the good words too.

Beautiful.

Honest.

A good friend.

Loyal.

Kind.

Supportive.

Write them down. All of them.

Now… are you ready? Tomorrow, we will begin to dive more into this list, but for today, the first thing that we are going to do is pray over it. We are going to use this week to ask God to speak to our hearts and reveal His truths. Ask Him to begin to transform you and allow you to see yourself through His lenses. To not just “know” who you are in His eyes, but to “feel” Him moving and showing you His love. His healing touch will begin to pour over you and as He reveals His love for you and His truths about you, take a moment and write it down. Let Him begin to heal the wounds and remove the scars on your heart. Don’t filter. Just let it flow. I’m praying for you today. Get ready… He’s about to make some life-changing paradigm-shifting moves in your heart! Blessings!

Today, I’m grateful to be a different version of myself standing on this balcony.

More healed.

More anchored.

More hopeful.

More at peace.

This balcony has been our vacation spot for four years. The view has never really changed, other than the occasional puffy cloud, but I have. So much. Thank you, Jesus, for being so faithful, even when my own faith was shaken.

Be gentle with yourself today. If you did the journal entry activity this morning and you feel shattered, broken, or discouraged, let Him comfort you and remind you of His promises. He heals the broken-hearted. He will bring you peace. He will renew your strength and bring you to a place of joy. He will remind you who you are and Whose you are. He loves you. Hang on. We are in this together.

Transformation is not always easy, but it’s always worth it. He is with you today.

Before we begin today, I wanted to share a special message with you…

We serve a God that is always moving, always working behind the scenes. Always present in the details. Always speaking to us and sharing with us a piece of His heart. You are not here (“here, here” or “here on this journey”) by accident. You found this group, this journey, this table because you are meant to be here. We are meant to be here, together. And just as He promised, He is here with us.

He is holding your heart. He knows you by name. And, He knows exactly what you face and what you have already overcome. He is working in the unseen, reweaving your pain and your heartache into something beautiful. Do not be discouraged. It may feel momentarily uncomfortable, but if we lean in, the healing will be absolutely transformational!

Believe this… The healing that I am speaking of is for you. Yes, YOU. Do not let the enemy tell you that this message is meant for everyone else. Do not let him convince you that you are somehow left out, forgotten, alone or unworthy. The truth is… God is right there with you, right now, in your car or in your bedroom or at your work. He is there. He is with you now. And He will make good on His promises

.….

As I thoughtfully wrote down my list yesterday, one painful word stood out the most… “underwhelming.”

Underwhelming: fail to impress or make a positive impact. Disappoint.

Synonyms: Unsatisfactory, inadequate, insufficient, unworthy, substandard, inferior, deficient, second-rate.

Underwhelming.

I decided in that moment to start with just one word. I would bring it to Him so that He could begin the process of rewriting it in my heart. Just one word. Underwhelming.

“God, I know that’s not how you see me. I know that it is a lie that the enemy has whispered into my thoughts so many times that I have allowed it to become a destructive and defeating label that I now use for myself. Help me to erase this word from my identity and replace it with a name that you call me. Show me who I am in your eyes. And as I walk through my day, please reveal your truth to me so that I may understand.”

I am ready… eager, really. I know that He will reveal His heart to me today and that this word, which has held me captive for far too long, will be replaced with a different word that will bring peace, freedom, and even joy.

But what about you?

What one word on your list stood out the most? I truly hope it was a beautiful word; one that makes you feel uplifted, joyful, loved, special and cherished (because you are). But, for many of us, the weight of the memories, feelings, and scars of the ugly ones will hold most of our attention.

Was it a hurtful word spoken over you by someone you love? A word that came as a result of a painful season or circumstance? Or a label that you carry on your heart as a result of a mistake?

We can feel chained to these words… enslaved to the emotions that they trigger, which often hold us back. From our calling. From joy. From Life.

So here’s your challenge for today… Choose one. Just one. And let’s start asking God rewrite it.

Unworthy > Chosen

Ashamed > Loved

Unwanted > Beautiful

Rejected > Belonging

One of the things that I love about the incredible God that we serve is how He can take our pain, our brokenness, our mistakes and our failures and rewrite them, reweave them, into something beautiful for our heart. Even the ugliest words, the ugliest mistakes, or the ugliest scars on your list… placed in His hands, they can be weaved into something healing and so powerful. The work that He is doing in your heart right now will become your testimony. Hold onto hope. He is with you always. Let Him show you how to rewrite your word today.

For your journal: When God gives you your NEW word today, scratch over (or erase) the old one and replace it with His truth. Pray that it be firmly planted in your heart. Document His love notes, His messages, or His goodness as it pours over you. And I invite you to share your NEW word with us in the comments section at the end of this post, if you feel comfortable. We are on this journey together. I am praying with you for your new word today.

Blessings.

Are you struggling to find your new word today? Sometimes finding a word that feels like it fits right can be challenging because we struggle to see ourselves through His lenses. I completely understand.

One of the first things that God spoke to me about early on in my journey was the shame that I carried inside. Shame that made me feel unworthy every time He tried to pour love over me. Shame that had me retreating into my hiding space whenever a door opened that He had given me the gifts and the calling to walk through. And that very shame kept me from finding my new words because every time I wrote one, I couldn’t bring myself to move it from my head to my heart. I couldn’t accept His truths because I didn’t feel deserving of them. Here’s the conversation that began to change all that:

I stood at this very spot when I heard God whisper, “give it to me.”

Give you what?

“Your shame.”

I can’t, God. I deserve it. If people knew what I was really like, they would say the same.

“Give it to me.”

Shame… it’s one of the enemy’s favorite tools and it’s time we recognize the lies behind it and remove it at its roots. I’m excited to dive more into that tomorrow with you, but for today…If you are struggling to find your new word, I invite you to choose one below and pray over it.

Allow God to plant the seed in your heart and then I encourage you to water it by declaring it a truth and being intentional about making it a daily affirmation. Post yourself a sticky note on your mirror. Write it down in your journal. Set a reminder on your phone. After all, these are not things that I am saying about you… These are His truths about you.

Allow yourself to believe it. Let it really take root in your heart. Let Him begin to rewrite the words that define you… starting here:

Chosen. 1 Thessalonians 1:4

Loved. Romans 5:8

Daughter/Son of a King. 1 John 3:2

Belonging. Jeremiah 1:5

Known. Jeremiah 1:5

Beautiful. Psalm 139:13-16

Gifted/Unique. 1 Peter 4:10

With Purpose. Ephesians 2:10

The Light of the World. Matthew 5:14

Special. Jeremiah 31:3

Highly Valuable Matthew 5:13

Royal 1 Peter 2:9

Holy 1 Peter 2:9

Completely Accepted, Redeemed, Loved, and Enough. He delights in you today.

Have one to add? Drop it in the comments section at the end of this post! We would love to see more!! Blessings!

As you work through your list this week, I pray that you can feel His touch and see His presence in the big, as well as the little. I pray that the journey gives you a much deeper understanding of your incredible worth and irreplaceable value in His eyes. And I pray that His voice brings you comfort, peace, hope, and even joy!

But, what if you feel something else entirely? What if you feel unworthy, confused, unsteady or unsure? What if you feel torn and you find yourself going back and forth, writing and erasing only to rewrite the same words again?

As His truths begin to redefine and reshape your identity, you may feel an internal battle rising between the old words (being evicted) and the new truths (being planted in their place). When you notice these battles begin, I encourage you to pause and truly evaluate the root cause of the conflict.

You see, when God created you, He gave you an incredibly special and unique calling, along with the power and authority to walk in it. You were chosen. You are one-of-a-kind. You are far from insignificant. And you are definitely not cookie cutter. You are called by name and you are His. You have a purpose.… And the enemy knows it.

Let me tell you what else the enemy knows… he has absolutely no power and authority over you except what he can convince you to accept. So, what does he do? He lies. He manipulates. And he uses our vulnerable, tender, and painful areas to twist us into knots of insecurity, fear, anxiety, and shame.

Shame – One of his absolute favorite tools. He will use every mistake, every painful word spoken over us, every misstep and every situation or season that has left us feeling broken or flawed to keep us in the cycle of shame.

But why? Why is the enemy so focused on little, insignificant me? Because if he can succeed in convincing us that we are, in fact, small, insignificant, unworthy, irrelevant, or too broken, then he will use those labels to effectively build a solid case against us, and worse, against God.

But guess what… We have the absolute authority over the enemy. Not just a little. Not just “enough.” Absolute authority. And it starts with recognizing his lies:

#1 – The enemy will always make you feel insignificant and small.

#2 – The enemy will always remind you of your mistakes, imperfections, and insecurities to make you feel unworthy, weighed down, and held back by shame.

#3 – The enemy will always make you feel hopeless and alone.

#4 – The enemy will always try to use past seasons of hurt to keep you in a painful cycle where you feel defeated and exhausted.

#5 – The enemy will use any tool he can to convince us that we have failed God, or worse, that He has failed us.

And that is why it’s so important to take that pause if you find yourself rewriting an OLD word where a NEW word has already been planted. Ask yourself… where is this rooted? Who is reminding me? And is it God’s truth?

God will never ask you to rewrite something that He has already erased.

Lean in. Give it to Him. And let Him show you His truths today.

Blessings, friends!

I want to be strong.

I want to have faith that moves mountains.

I want to freely pour my love over others without fear of pain and rejection.

I want to watch God move in powerful and miraculous ways.

But today, I just want to let Him continue the work that He started in me so that I can begin to truly see myself through His eyes.

I want to draw closer to Him so that I can feel His touch and find rest in His heart.

And I want to hear his voice so that I can walk out the calling that he has placed on my life.

It’s a new day, friends. He’s re-weaving your hurt, your mistakes, and your difficult and tender seasons to bring forth something beautiful from them. And His grace is sufficient… for me. And for you. Today. So let’s be gentle with ourselves and pause to remember… He wants to love us first. Above all else… there is love.

After our five-year-old son kept bringing up an interest in learning how to pan for gold, I decided to do a quick online search and see how difficult (or easy) it would be to make this experience happen for him. The website rockseeker.com had some pretty easy-to-follow beginner instructions and as I read through them carefully, I found myself taking mental notes in preparation for our upcoming field trip……

“Panning for gold is not overly complicated or difficult. However, the more you do it and the more you practice, the better and faster you’ll get at it.”

First, fill your gold pan with the dirt you collected.

Submerge it completely under the water..

Begin to mix it up and remove the lighter, floating material.

Remove any large rocks that you see.

Now begin to shake the pan vigorously to further separate the material.

Continue to allow the lighter material to wash out, while removing any large rocks that you discover.

Slow your pace and swirl the water more gently as you remove your final layers and begin to discover the gold.

Give the pan one more final wash until all that is left is the previously buried, but always present… gold!

.…

Friends, we are panning for the gold this week!

Give yourself the encouragement and freedom to sift through all that debris, all that clutter, and all that dirt. Be intentional.

Submerge your pan in Him.

Shake it vigorously.

Embrace the joy that comes with removing labels that He does not wish for you to carry.

Feel the weight of those heavy rocks being removed from your heart.

Let your spirit lift as the clouds of floating material that fill your mind are cleared.

And with each step you take, you will find yourself closer and closer to discovering what’s under all that extra, well… “stuff” …

the extremely valuable and beautiful…. you.

…the one that was always there, but had been buried under the leftover debris of a painful season.

I had a completely different post planned for today, but God tapped on my heart to share this and it just poured out.

Shake your list vigorously, my friends… and be encouraged.

Don’t remove your discouraging words slowly, painfully, and with fear of further injury and damage… rip them off with the joy of freedom!

You. Are. Free.

You do not have to carry around those big rocks that weigh you down.

You do not have to filter your day through the cloudy material that clutters your mind with thoughts of shame, fear, or rejection.

Be intentional.

Remove it.

Let God show you the gold that is just waiting to be discovered… the very gold that He placed inside of you. The gold that makes you so incredibly and uniquely you.

And here is just a little pebble to keep in your pocket as a reminder on this panning adventure…

It is always okay to say “no” to a thought or feeling that tries to place a heavy rock back into your pan. Pray over your heart. Guard your thoughts. And keep on sifting!

Blessings today!

For your journal: How you have seen, heard or felt God’s touch this week?! Big moves or “in the details” … record it so that you can reflect back on it later.

I feel small and find myself taking up less space.

I am so much less colorful than I once was and I fear that I will never find joy again.

My light and spark have dimmed and sometimes I am afraid that I will be swallowed up entirely.

I feel defeated and tired.

I feel hopeless.

I feel anxious.

I feel misunderstood.

I feel alone.

And I find myself totally at the mercy of these feelings. A lot.

Does any of that sound familiar to you? That was exactly where I sat last year as God walked me through a very beautiful, but often difficult, total heart transformation. I can recall a very vivid memory of how all of these emotions could, and would, come together in one unexpected moment and completely change my entire day:

It was the weekend and our family had decided to spend the day running errands together. The weather was beautiful and I felt happy and carefree. Suddenly a painful memory flashed through my mind. It was just a momentary thought, a split-second feeling, but I felt the familiar squeeze in my chest because I knew what was coming next and I felt completely powerless to stop it. I felt the sadness, the anxiety, and the fear begin to build. As it grew, I knew that it was only a matter of time before it swallowed me whole and I would be consumed by it for hours, possibly even days. The panic began to rise and my heart desperately searched for somewhere to hide. I didn’t want to be in this cycle of pain, anxiety, fear, and shame… I didn’t! But I can’t stop it. And somewhere deep inside, I knew that I would eventually stop fighting it altogether. I would accept that life had changed me and I would always be this smaller, less colorful and less joyful version of myself.

The end.

Except God said… “not the end, Shannon. You were crafted by my hands. Your very being has my fingerprint on it. You are exquisite and beautiful and covered in grace. I love you. Let me show you my heart.”

This topic is pretty heavy and I think it’s very important that I share my heart right up front. I am not bringing you this post today with any sort of underlying message of shame or judgement. I have not walked in your shoes. I do not know your pain. I cannot imagine the scars that have been carved deep into your heart. But I can imagine someone telling that same girl above that she is not chained to her feelings, that they do not have the power to control her day, and I can guarantee you that she would have responded that she has been so deeply defined by her painful seasons that she can no longer have an identity that is not tied to the resulting anxiety and fear. That she feels completely powerless to take the wheel and she’s just along for the ride.

How about you?

What feelings have been branded into your identity? What feelings do you find yourself powerless to escape? Shame… fear… anxiety… anger? All week we have been working on sifting through the list of words that have been written on our hearts as we allow Him to redefine us with His truths. But, what about the feelings that attempt to label us or brand us a certain way? Because He cares about those too.

Feelings simply do not obey our command. Am I right? I cannot will myself to feel something. I cannot force the hurt, sadness or anger away. I can compartmentalize (no… I personally can’t do this well). But that is really just reserving the feeling for later. So why can’t we actually “control” our feelings? Because they are a natural and very genuine extension of the heart. They are a flashing signal to our brain that says, “hey… there’s something here. Something that brings joy or something that hurts.”

Yes, feelings are a completely natural response to our life experiences and seasons, but may I share a personal and humble observation? They can also become huge spiritual battlegrounds.

“Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

So, what do we do with our feelings when they threaten to swallow us up? (I’m 100% speaking to myself here too…) Well, that’s where I try to pause for a moment and evaluate… am I feeling a very natural emotion that comes with my processing of a difficult season, or is this the enemy trying to pull me under again with his lies… only they aren’t lies, are they? No… he often uses truths to tug at our heart while he ultimately tries to manipulate us into giving up hope. Let me explain…

The enemy will use whatever tool he can to leave you feeling completely defeated. He studies you and he knows your weaknesses. He will whisper damaging thoughts into your ear, reminders of painful seasons, and then tell you that you will never rise above the shame, anger, fear, anxiety, and hopelessness. That you are forever lost in this abyss. That you are alone. That nobody understands you and worse, everyone has abandoned you. That you are a disappointment and unloved. And if he is telling you any of those things right now, hear this… HE IS A LIAR and he is seeking to destroy your heart.

You are incredibly loved by your Heavenly Father. He loves you the same today as yesterday, no matter what road you have traveled. He weeps at your broken heart. He wants to heal you and bring you to a place of peace, and even joy. You are not alone. He is there… always. You are not a disappointment. He is proudly calling you HIS… even on your worst day… yes, that day that just flashed through your mind… He loved you the same. And He can walk you through healing by showing you His heart and holding you while you rest.

So, when you feel those emotions, that genuine extension of the heart, I encourage you to pause for a moment. Ask yourself the roots. If you have traveled a difficult season, allow yourself the time and space to process. If you need extra help, seek out a counselor (I did this too!). Hurt and grief give rise to many emotions that should be recognized and given the love and grace to be worked through, not pushed aside. And the process is a journey. It should not be rushed or compared. We all travel through it differently. But I promise you, if you cling to Him, there is life on the other side and He will be faithful to get you there.

In the meantime, guard your thoughts and your heart. The enemy will use your process to try to drag you under, over and over, until you feel totally consumed and defeated. If you find that he is turning your grief, your feelings, your journey into a spiritual battleground…

1 – Pray. Even if you don’t know what words to use, God knows your heart. He will scoop you up and hold you close until you feel strong enough to stand again.

2 – Pause to remember that your thoughts have the power to bear fruit, good or bad. If you hold onto the thought… if you water it… it will take root in your heart. Then draw strength from Jesus when you find yourself starting to spiral down that cycle. When I sat in the truck that day, it all started with one thought. That’s all it takes. One thought… watered… is all the enemy needs.

3 – Step into your authority over the enemy. He has no power in our lives. Once we begin to recognize his lies and his games, we can tell him to flee and he has no choice. We don’t need to reason with him or argue with him. God has given us ALL the authority over the enemy. When he tries to whisper lies of defeat and hopelessness… “you’re not good enough. You’re too broken. This healing isn’t for you.” Turn to him and simply say, “leave.” Say it out loud, if needed… I know I did a few times. And if you are feeling weak, have someone pray over you. I did that too. Whatever it takes…

4 – Remind yourself that you are not defined, labeled, branded, or controlled by your feelings. You are not at their mercy, helpless to be swallowed up whole. They are signals of something that makes your heart take pause. Believe me, I know from experience that they are often an extension of very real, and sometimes very raw, pain. I completely understand. They may go very deep, and they may feel very overwhelming at times, but they are not “who” you are. Begin to believe and find strength in the identity that your Heavenly Father has been pouring into you and nothing more.

5 – Find hope in His promises. As you put these steps into practice, you may see change… or it may feel really, really fruitless. That’s how I felt at first. And God said, “rest, Shannon. Rest in my promises. You will feel joy again.” Today may not feel better, friends. Tomorrow may not feel better either. Next week may feel like an even bigger battleground. But keep pushing through with hope and faith in His promises. We serve a Father that is loving and good and faithful and he will not let you fail.

Blessings today, my friends.

Extra note: If you are in crisis, please dial 911. I am not a counselor or therapist and the contents of this site, and any opinions stated, are presented for informational purposes only, and should not be substituted for professional advice.

If you are considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255. Trust me, you are here for a reason and Jesus has a plan for your life and your story.

If you are not considering suicide or in any physical danger, but you feel that you are in need of additional assistance, please reach out to a counselor or therapist in your area. There are so many wonderful and free services out there! Don’t let shame or fear stop you. The truth is, we are all a little broken and it’s okay to say that, at times, we may need additional help. Sometimes, it’s even part of God’s refurbishing plan for our lives! I thank Jesus for these beautiful people and their God-given gifts!

We are wrapping up week #1 of our “Fall Into Me” journey and I know that some of you may feel like there are still so many loose ends. That’s okay. This is a journey (and a process) and He will continue the work that He has started in you. Be intentional about spending time with this list, but also be patient and give yourself grace. Work one word at a time, if needed. I promise, He will meet you there. And the healing and love that He will continue to pour over you will completely transform your life! (…and your list!)

I hope that your heart has sensed His touch this week. Lean into that. He will begin to show you the next step of your personal and spiritual journey.

I hope that your days have been filled with His presence. Soak in it. He will bring your heart peace, hope and even joy.

I pray that He has started the process of reweaving some of your pain, your scars, and your hurt into something new, something of hope. Believe in it and receive it. Let it in.

I pray that you have a deeper understanding of how beautiful, loved, and cherished you are to Him and I hope you have experienced a glimpse of the calling that He has on your heart and the gifts that He has placed inside you. You are so deeply loved and so completely irreplaceable.

I hope that you have discovered new truths about who you are in Him and have been able to release some of the old words that labeled you, defined you, and kept you feeling anchored and held back by the emotions that they triggered. What a weight that is lifting off your heart! Celebrate your progress!

I hope that this week has allowed you to see yourself just a little bit more through His lenses. Trust His unconditional love. It’s beyond our understanding, but oh so real!

But mostly, my prayer for this week is that you have felt a bit closer and leaned in a bit more, to Him. To His love. To His heart. And that you continue to experience more of Him every day.

But this is not a finish line. It’s only the beginning. Although we will be moving on to other concepts throughout the next three weeks, here are a few suggestions that I jotted down if you want to continue the work that we started in week #1:

1 – Pray over your list. Part two starts tomorrow (“Who is He?”) and as you feel God speaking to you, listen to the words that He pours over you. Add those words to your list. Continue to pray over the words that hurt. The words that still stick. The words that still induce pain. Let God continue to heal those wounds.

2 – Continue to write down His love notes to you. Don’t filter. When we begin to see His heart and His touch in everything, we begin to understand more and more how much He loves us, helping us to see ourselves through His lenses.

3 – If you struggle to find your new words, loop yourself back to day #3 (“Dig a Little Deeper” post) and borrow one from His word.

4 – Use daily affirmations to water your new words. Pray that they take root and then watch them grow in your heart! They will bear fruit, but we must be intentional about giving them what they need (on our end) to grow.

5 – Give yourself grace. You will find yourself looping back, rewriting old words that He has erased, laying it down only to pick it back up. Guess what? So did Peter! When he began to doubt, he started to sink. And guess what Jesus did… He scooped him up. And He will do the same for you. Dust off. Begin the work again.

The journey to rediscover and redefine who we are in His eyes does not end here. Seek Him. Seek His voice. Seek His presence. He will pour His love over you and remind you who you are and Whose you are.

See you tomorrow for the start of week #2!! (“Who Is He?)

Blessings!

Do you feel like you’re in the middle of the wilderness right now? Do you struggle with feelings of hopelessness and fear? I did too. Sometimes I thought the wilderness would swallow me up whole and I would cease to exist, at least emotionally and spiritually. But, we serve a Heavenly Father that will find us, even in the wilderness (make that *especially* in the wilderness), and pour His heart over us. He will remind us who we are and Whose we are. And if we lean in to His goodness and His promises, we will leave the wilderness completely transformed!

I am so sorry that you are in a difficult season, my friend. It’s so easy to feel unseen and unheard and even misunderstood. But you are not unseen or unheard by the One that loves you the most. He is there. In the little. In the big. In the seen. And in the unseen.

And He loves you.

Listen for His voice. Watch for His touch. Allow His love to pour over you and draw strength from it. And believe in His promises for a better tomorrow.

I’d like to share a quote that I found inspiring and wrote down in my “Fall Into Me” journal a few weeks back:

“Jesus did no miracles that we know of until he left the wilderness. (Because you find yourself in the wilderness…) You think something is going wrong. I think something is about to go right. The Lord is proving what He said about you. Leaving the wilderness in the power of the spirit. This is who you are.” (Kris Vallotton)

We started our journey last week with the very real question, “What would make you step out of that boat?” Howling winds. Raging seas. Huge waves. You, like Peter, are facing things that are outside of your control and Jesus is saying, “Trust me. Lean into me. Step out of the boat and come to me. I’ve got this. I’ve got you.” What would it take to fully let go and fall into His arms?

As I travel through my own journey and sit with this question, I’m looped back to the beginning of the story. When the disciples first saw Jesus, they thought He was a ghost and they were terrified, crying out in fear. But Jesus spoke reassurance to them… “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” Hasn’t He said that to us so many times in the middle of a storm? “Don’t be afraid, Shannon. Trust me. I would never let you drown.”

And here are these disciples who, just hours before, had watched Jesus heal the sick and feed over five thousand men, plus women and children, from five loaves of bread and two fish! And He had not simply supplied “enough,” but His provisions were in abundance because there were twelve baskets of leftover food! And yet, only one disciple spoke up… Peter.

Sometimes I wonder if the rest of them stood completely frozen in that boat. Still afraid to trust. Still fearful that the next shoe would drop, the next wave would hit, and somehow God wouldn’t be there. Afraid that this same Jesus that they had witnessed feed thousands and heal the sick would simply not show up for them. And if I’m honest, I can relate. I have felt that fear too.

Now, I want to focus for just a minute on Peter’s response…

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)

“Lord, if it’s you…”

Sometimes, we just need a little reminder. A moment to focus on *who* we are walking towards. *Who* is it that we are trusting? *Whose* arms we are falling into when we decide to let go?

“Lord, if it’s you…”

And the next part is key… “then I will place my trust in you.”

Why? … “because I know you.”

We can have faith that, in His hands, the unbelievable becomes believable. We may even witness his divine power move in completely indescribable ways. And friends, we can still find ourselves absolutely terrified to walk out on that water. But it is in that deep and intimate relationship with Him that we begin to find the courage and the confidence to start the process of letting go. It is in “knowing” Him, truly knowing Him, that we begin to understand that our lives placed in His hands are far better than any plans placed in our control. And then, we call out…

“Lord, if it’s you…”

In Part Two of our “Fall Into Me” series, we will journey through the question, “Who Is He?” But, don’t let the question mislead you. This week is not just about knowing *who* He is… it’s truly about KNOWING HIM. Because if we focus on our relationship with Him, seek Him, spend time with Him, and delight in our moments with Him, the faith, the trust, the surrender, and the letting go will grow naturally.

Oh… and about that Peter… he took several steps out of that boat. He was walking… on water! He owned those waves. Storm? What storm?! For just a moment, he was above it all and he feared nothing. But then, he looked around at the wind and waves and became frightened and began to sink. Oh man… been there too, Peter. Trusting Jesus, then looking around at my storm and find myself sinking again! But guess what the next verse says…

“Immediately, Jesus reached out his hand and caught Peter.”

He caught him. Scooped him right up. Protected him. Loved him.

And He will catch you too. As many times as it takes.

Today, I encourage you to start with a simple prayer. Ask God to show you His heart this week. Be intentional about taking time each day to deepen your relationship with Him. Ask Him to pour over you. And ask Him to reveal to you who He is and how much He loves you. Listen for His voice and take time to document His words, His messages, and His touches in your journal.

“Lord, if it’s you…”

I will trust you today…

I will trust you with this heartache.

I will trust you with this diagnosis.

I will trust you with this decision.

I will trust you with this season.

I will trust you with these finances.

I will trust you with this broken relationship.

I will trust you with my future.

I will trust you with my heart.

Blessings today, my friends.

I’ll go first…

… Feel free to share yours in the comments section at the end of this blog post. Just scroll to the bottom of this page. Blessings, friends!!

We often hear the phrase “in the rearview mirror” as a way to suggest that “it’s in the past,” and usually in the context of implying that we should leave something behind or let it go. But today, I want us to look in the rearview mirror, possibly at even at some painful times in our lives, as a way to find strength and courage for our next step forward. We are not trying to resurface the pain, but we are searching for God in the details and trust me, He was there.

Holding us.

Protecting us.

Carrying us.

Guiding us.

This will be a big day in our journal and I’ve been looking forward to it! This will begin the transformation in our hearts from fear of the future to trust in the One who holds it. He’s always there… in the details and when we find Him there, we realize that He truly does love us immensely and hold us close.

For your journal today, I encourage you to begin to take a second look at both the good and difficult seasons in your life and sit with the question… Where do you see Him in the journey?

Where did you feel His touch?

Where did you hear His voice?

When did He carry you?

When did He guide you?

When did He protect you?

You can write out an entire memory or just jot down a few words, but either way, you may find that this activity, being intentional about finding Him in the rear-view mirror, will become very powerful in our “Fall Into Me” journey.

We will dive much deeper into this tomorrow and I simply cannot wait!!

Blessings, friends!

This is a photo of a 5-day old embryo. 5 days after a very special little boy was conceived. 5 days… and everything about this beautiful little gift was wrapped up in this one teeny tiny little microscopic package.

His beautiful long eyelashes.

His strong-willed spitfire spirit.

His eyes that look like his grandma.

His smile that looks like his mommy.

His willpower that will change the world one day.

And his laugh that warms our hearts.

All of it.

And along with it… countless beautiful gifts and talents that God has placed inside of him. Special pieces of his design that will blossom over time. Gifts that, as parents, we try to nurture and encourage. Gifts that will make his light shine bright as he shares the love of Jesus with the next generation.

And as I look at this tiny little blob of love, I’m reminded…. I was once that small. Full of promise and potential; packaged with beautiful gifts and special abilities; carefully designed with each unique piece knitted together to make me … well… me.

And when the world left me feeling empty and carved out, God scooped me up and reminded me that I am who HE says I am.

I am still that same little blob… just a bit bigger now. I am still full of promise and potential. I am still packaged with beautiful gifts and special abilities. I am still the same girl that was carefully designed with each unique piece knitted together… perfectly. Because God doesn’t make mistakes. And He didn’t make a mistake when He made me… and He didn’t make a mistake when He made you.

When the world tries to tell you who you are or who you are not; what you are capable of overcoming or achieving or how you will surely fail; with what words you should define yourself and how insignificant and small you should feel… remind them…

You serve a mighty and amazing God.

You were carefully designed and crafted by His hands.

His very fingerprints were left on your heart.

You carry the Kingdom with you.

You carry the Holy Spirit within you.

You have been equipped.

You have been called.

And you will have victory in His name!

Shine bright, my friends! You are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139:14)

Embrace who HE says you are today!

Day #10 of our “Fall Into Me” series and what a beautiful journey that we are on! Friends, you have blessed me immensely on this journey! Your comments, your private messages, your little notes… they have encouraged my heart. Thank you so much for being here and sharing your heart with me.

I want to start the day by asking you to write four important words in your journal. For some, this may be a simple and easy request. For others, these words may give rise to feelings of uncertainty, anger, or even resentment. You will find no judgement here. I have not walked in your shoes. I do not know the pain you have endured or the scars that remain. But I know that God can handle your anger and He is calling you to step out on the water; to share this journey with us. He is calling you to fall into Him and let Him love you and heal you. Are you ready?

Take a moment, trust me in this truth, and write these four words in your journal today:

The God Who Stays

There’s something so powerful about putting ink to paper. Sometimes these small physical actions can bring huge spiritual breakthroughs. Seeing those words. Letting them sink in. Allowing them to take root in your heart. That alone can be truly transformational.

Yesterday, we took the challenge of looking through the rear-view mirror at some of our past seasons. Seasons of joy and seasons of pain. Times when we felt alone and times when we felt loved and cherished. Good memories and the ones that we would rather bury under a pile of bricks and never dig up again. And I’m willing to bet that as you journeyed through the details of the latter, those painful seasons when you felt so alone, you made some new and significant discoveries. I know that I did.

It’s often easy to see God’s incredible touches on a season of joy. We wholeheartedly thank Him for His blessings and His favor. But what about the really difficult seasons? The ones where we find ourselves crying out, “where are you, God?” as we endure waves of deep pain and incredible sorrow? When friendships dissolve, relationships are broken, or job opportunities end? When we get that life-changing diagnosis or a person we love wounds us very deeply? When we suddenly lose someone that we simply cannot imagine living without? Where is He then?

I know that sometimes it may be difficult to feel Him or see Him through the sheets of rain, but my friends, I promise you, He is always there. He will never leave you to face the darkness alone. That’s His promise and you are safe to rest in it.

You may be familiar with the lyrics of the song “The God Who Stays” by Matthew West, but I’d like to share them with you today because they hit that sweet spot in my heart…

“You’re the God who stays

You’re the God who stays

You’re the one who runs in my direction

When the whole world walks away

You’re the God who stands

With wide open arms

And You tell me nothing I have ever done can separate my heart

From the God who stays”

I pray that as you look back at those difficult seasons in your life, you realize that even when you felt abandoned or alone, He was always there, in the big and the small, in the blessings, and in the guidance. That He was holding you close and that His heart broke as He watched you journey through such suffering. That He was pouring His love over you when you felt so incredibly broken and empty.

And as we reflect on His presence during our darkest seasons, we suddenly realize that He truly is the God who shows up, the God who stays, and the God who will never abandon us. That truth, allowed to take root in our heart, has incredible thought-changing, belief-changing, and life-changing power.

When I know that I’ll never be alone, that He will never leave me or abandon me, I suddenly feel safer.

When I know that He believes in me, cares for me, loves me, and has equipped me, I suddenly feel stronger.

When I realize that He is the God who shows up, the God who stays, and the God who holds me through even the roughest storms, I suddenly feel the fear and the anxiety begin to melt away.

Friends, I not only find the courage to step out of the boat, to fall into Him, but I find myself eager and excited because I know that any journey He lays before me is absolutely worth leaning into.

Who Is He? The God Who Stays.

Believe it. Let it take root today. It is His promise to you. Today. And always. #Histruths

Blessings, today!

I have called you by your name; you are Mine. Isaiah 43:1

Dear friends, I want to share something so powerful and so very important with you right up front today…

You are NOT just one of many to our Heavenly Father, going unnoticed as you blend in with the masses, insignificant and small. No, the One who loves you most knows your every joy and your every sorrow, your every fear and your every pain, your every hope and the things about which you dream the most. He knows every beautiful moment that took your breath away and every gut-wrenching season that left you breathless. He knew you first. Before you were born. Before you were conceived. And He has known you, truly known you, and loved you every day since. He delights in you. You are His special treasure. His beautiful child. And He cares. About you. Today.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” Jeremiah 1:5

…

There are very few memories for me that compare to the day that God left me a love note in the woods. It spoke so deeply to my heart that I was left in a mess of tears. It wasn’t the note itself… it was the realization that He truly noticed and loved me… simple, small, and seemingly insignificant me. And I found myself completely overwhelmed.

Overwhelmed by the thought that my “little” would even be on the radar of a Heavenly Father that must have so much “big” on His plate at all times.

Overwhelmed by the realization that I’m not just one of many, but that He truly sees me. He knows me. And He loves me THAT much.

Overwhelmed by the love of a Father that does not see the 99 and simply forget about the 1, because well… he already has so many, so why bother?! No, He sees the heart of each and every child. He sees me. And He sees you.

I had planned to share more of that story with you in this post, but instead, I want to share a story that my very dear friend posted yesterday that also left me in tears. A story that demonstrates exactly what we are talking about today. A story about a Father who sees us and cares about our heart…

From my dear friend:

“One of my favorite “God is in the details” story is when I was in ministry school, I wasn’t able to work. I had very little in my bank account, but I went to Target anyway

While at target, I found a sweater I loved and it was on sale. At that time, I thought it was going to be marked down even more when I got to the register – it wasn’t. I took it home, and balanced my checkbook, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to afford the gas I needed for the week, so I returned the sweater.

I was devastated. This sounds small and trivial, but I’m not a person that buys clothes or things for myself, and to have found something I loved only to return it because I couldn’t afford it hurt my heart.

A week later, the daughter of my ministry school director gave me two bags of clothes from cleaning out her closet, and in one of those bags was the sweater. So, not only did God give me the gift of that sweater back, he gave me abundantly above all I could have imagined! I didn’t need to worry about affording/buying any more clothes for the rest of that year. He gave me a totally complete wardrobe.

He really cares about the BiG things and the small things.”

…

So, why does a sweater and a love note in the woods matter so much? Because it’s a beautiful demonstration of the fact that we are loved by a Heavenly Father that truly *sees* each one of us…

He sees our heart.

He sees our pain and fear.

He sees our joy and hope.

He sees our dreams.

He sees our needs (both big and small).

He sees the things that we hide from the rest of the world.

He sees the icky that we work so hard to bury deep inside.

And He sees the treasure within us that is just waiting to be discovered.

He delights in knowing us, individually, and having a relationship with us where we can grow to know His heart just as He has always known ours.

In a world where it’s easy to feel like one of many, invisible, isolated, and alone, He is continually reminding us that He is the God who sees…. You. And He sees me.

When our troubles, our pain, our trials feel insignificant or less important compared to the burdens of others, He says, “not to me. Your “trivial” is not unimportant. It matters.

”When the world seems to keep spinning around you and you feel completely unnoticed in your depression, your anxiety, or your hurt. When you feel your heart crying out for someone to look over, to notice, and to scoop you up and hold you until the pain subsides. When you find yourself wondering if you’ll ever feel the sun’s warmth again, He’s saying, “I see you. I am here. And you are not small, insignificant, or alone. You are my child. And I care about your broken heart. Let me hold you. Let me heal you.”

He is inviting us to rest in the truth that when we feel completely unseen or forgotten, we are never unnoticed by Him!

Who Is He? The God Who Sees Me. The God Who Sees You.

And that is a Father that I can begin to step out of the boat and walk towards, even when I cannot see through the sheets of rain and I do not know what the future will bring. Fall into Him today, my friends. He loves you. You will not get lost in the crowd. He will see you and He will catch you. Listen for the ways that He is speaking to your heart today.

Blessings!

(If you would like to read more about my love note in the woods, you can CLICK HERE to be redirected.)

Today, I want to share a special excerpt from our “Chasing Joy” devotional series because God has been laying it pretty heavily on my heart. If you find yourself in God’s Waiting Room, I pray that this post brings you some reassurance and hope for the future. We can give Him our tomorrow because He is already there. He goes before us. He is making a way. He is the God Who Delivers…

My husband and I have a marker board hanging on the wall in our bedroom. Whenever we have a family member or friend that is going through a challenging season… a storm, a big life change, an illness, a devastating divorce, a stressful move… we add their name to the board. This is our way of committing to praying with them as they journey through the hard. Earlier today, as I paused and read through the names of so many people that I love on that board, I came to realize one thing – like so many of us, they are all sitting in God’s waiting room, prayerfully waiting for His answers and trusting His timing and His guidance.

God’s Waiting Room. It can be so incredibly difficult, especially in life-altering situations. When so much hangs in the balance, the unknowns can be almost unbearable. Fear can give rise to panic rather quickly. We know that our world may irreversibly change, but we feel completely out of control and helpless to direct the outcome. We can quite easily find ourselves in a cycle of doubt, anxiety, frustration, and even anger. You’ll get no judgement from me. I have sat in God’s waiting room and worked through every emotion mentioned.

Sometimes it’s so difficult to understand why He isn’t reaching in and changing our circumstances. We begin to wonder why His promises don’t line up with what we feel and see happening all around us and inside us. At times, the storm may even appear to grow instead of calming. Or maybe we have sat in this waiting room for so long that we have grown impatient. And then there’s the doubt casted into our heart by the opinions and judgement of others or the lies of the enemy. We’ve faced it all and trust me, He has seen it all from us. And yet, despite our tears (or tantrums), sometimes He still doesn’t move that mountain.

With time, and reflection, I’m beginning to learn something big from this… He’s so loving and so faithful. He could snap His fingers and give us what we want, but in His infinite wisdom, He can often see what we truly need and there is so much blessing in trusting that. Sometimes the waiting has a reason that we don’t understand, but make no mistake, we are always in His heart when He is keeping us there. So, that leads us to the question… what can we do when we find ourselves in that space between our prayers and His answers?

Simply put, Be Ready.

• Focus on your Heavenly Father and “Be Ready” to feel Him. I promise, He’s there. And He is speaking into your heart, giving you peace, love, and hope. Watch Him move in your situation. He will pour out His blessings in the middle of your storm.

• Write down His promises and “Be Ready” to see them fulfilled. Post them in a place that you will see them daily. When the what-ifs threaten to drown you, cling to His promises; find rest in His promises (I have 3×5 index cards with His promises taped on my prayer board. They are specific promises for me and/or my family that I lean on in times of fear or uncertainty.)

• “Be Ready” for the people and situations that He will bring to sit with you in the waiting room. People that were divinely placed there to help you get through it.

• “Be Ready” for His goodness… it’s coming. I often find it helpful to reflect on His goodness during previously weathered storms – No matter how painful the outcome, I have always seen His love for me in the answers, sometimes even years later. When I reflect back on His goodness, it gives me peace in the waiting because I know He is faithful.

• “Be Ready” for His provisions. Whatever His answer, and however it may differ from your expectations, be ready for His provisions. He will always provide everything you need.

“Be ready.” It’s a concept that I love because it gives me something to “do” in the waiting. It gives me peace, hope, and rest. And because I am keeping my focus on His faithfulness, His promises, and His goodness, it plants seeds of gratitude in my heart and I find myself so thankful for His presence in the middle of the storm. He is a good, good Father… and He loves you very much.”

…

He is a God that delivers, my friends. It may not always be the answer that we seek. We may not always understand the wait. But He is always good and faithful.

If you are sitting in His waiting room, I pray that you are able to find rest in His promises… He sees you. He loves you so much. And whatever He is weaving together just outside of your understanding will bless you immensely.

I’d like to share a verse that I have used in my own journey to encourage my heart during the wait. It’s something that I put into practice earlier this year and it has been greatly significant in my continued realization of how faithful of a Father we serve:

“The Lord answered me: Write down the vision; write it clearly on clay tablets so whoever reads it can run to tell others. It is not yet time for the message to come true, but that time is coming soon; the message will come true. It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it, because it will surely come; it will not be delayed.” Habakkuk 2:2-3

I would like to encourage you today to use your journal to write down some of His promises. Even if you are sitting in His waiting room right now, write down what He has shown you, what He has told you. He is a God who delivers and He will make good on those promises. His truths never change.

Blessings, my friends!

If you have been following my blog and my journey over the last year, then you know that God has been walking me through a tremendous amount of healing and growth. There were days when I found myself struggling to hold onto His promises, but He has patiently and lovingly guided my feet until I began to feel hope, peace, and even joy take root in my heart again!  To put this transformation in my own words… a year ago, when He took me by the hand in the middle of a dark and difficult season and encouraged me to lean into Him, this miraculous healing seemed as far away as one could possibly feel from a dream…  But Jesus! 

I know, first-hand, how easy it can be to feel like you will never crawl out of this deep hole; How the depression, the anxiety, and the fear begin to take root and how they threaten to consume you. I know what it feels like to look in the mirror and not recognize the reflection starting back at you. Who have I become? Where did I go? And am I lost forever? I completely understand how hopeless and unsalvageable it can all feel. And that is exactly why I share my story and my personal journey with you…

Because friends, if you find yourself in need of healing today, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual, in the words of Anne Wilson, let me tell you about the loving and healing power of my Jesus…

He meets you right where you are. He does not ask you to clean it up before you come to Him.  He wants you to bring it all to Him, unfiltered, and let Him begin to lift it off your heart piece by piece.

He weeps with you.  He loves you oh so much that He is weeping with you.  Let Him hold you and begin to heal your broken heart. He will breathe life into you again.

He dreams for you. When you cannot find the strength to dream for yourself.  When whatever you wish for seems so out of reach and you have faced failures and disappointments, leaving you unwilling to dream for yourself, He will dream for you.

He will make a way. When the path seems hopelessly cluttered with so much debris that there is no healing in sight, He can make a way.  He is the God of hope.  The God who can part the seas.  The God who can part the clutter.

He will always make good on His promises.  Some days I would cling to His promises like a life-raft just to get through the pain.  Friends… it’s not always easy, especially when we cannot see all that He can see, but trust me, He will always make good on His word.  Hold onto it.  Lean into it.  There is hope after this storm.  There is life after this mess.  There is healing after this heartache.  You will feel the sun again.

Friends, it may take time, but He will reweave it all together and give you a better tomorrow. 

Who is He? He is the One True Healer. Of the Body. Of the Heart. And of the soul.

You can bring your broken to Him… always… and unfiltered… and He will begin to pour over you and show you a path to your new tomorrow.  He will begin to plant peace and hope in your heart.  He will love you and hold you through the process, through the pain, through the doubt, through the clearing of the debris.  We need only to draw close to Him.  To be near Him.  And He will do the rest.

Blessing today, my friends.

Continue to listen for His voice and His presence in your life today and take note of it in your “Fall Into Me” journal. Feel free to drop us a comment and tell us how He is moving in your heart today!

Day #14: The halfway point. How are you feeling today, my friends?

My prayer is that this journey is allowing you to take some much-needed time to focus on your heart. To give yourself the space to grieve difficult seasons. To recognize some of the extra weight that you have been carrying and allow Jesus to move through that pain and begin your healing. I hope that He has been speaking to you throughout the journey, reassuring you of His presence and His love; guiding your steps and planting seeds of hope in your heart. And I hope that you have been gentle with yourself, giving yourself lots of room for grace, throughout the process. I pray that you have discovered new and beautiful gifts that are part of your God-given identity and I hope that you have felt Him working to remove some of the misplaced remnants or words that have been left behind like scars on your heart.

If you are finding that this journey is bringing you joy, peace and reassurance, I am celebrating with you… truly! I am grateful that He is pouring over you in such a beautiful way! Thank you, Jesus, for your never-ending goodness. But, if you find that this journey has you feeling much like a yo-yo, experiencing peace and happiness, then doubt and fear, only to bounce back up again… Please hear this: I have been there too.

I cannot tell you the number of times that my heart has bounced up and down during my journey. I could literally be dancing in the total divine presence of God one day and then find myself in the dark wilderness of doubt and fear the next. Whoa! What?! It was often very difficult and painfully confusing. But can I just pause for a moment and reassure your heart?

He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Psalm 91:4

When Jesus called Peter out on the water, it doesn’t say that He calmed the wind and waves. Could He have? Absolutely, but what if He doesn’t?

Sometimes we are out on the water walking towards Him and everything is still roaring around us. We look around and we begin to think… “something has to be wrong with this. I must be doing something wrong. This does not look or feel right.”

“God, where are you? I’m trusting you, I’m leaning in… why is the storm still raging around me? Why is the storm still raging inside me?”

It’s completely normal to begin to doubt and grow fearful. And if I might add… the enemy will absolutely use that time to begin to whisper lies as well: “You’re just not good enough. He won’t catch you. You are naïve and stupid. He will never show up. Take back control… what little you can salvage.” And we start to sink. I’ve been there too, friends. Over and over. And I could literally feel my spirit begin to sink as the fear and anxiety grew.

But Jesus is saying, “keep your eyes on me. I will protect you. I love you. These are my promises.”

We are on a journey, my friends. Sometimes we will walk through the hard and feel very confused and sometimes we will dance in the sun and delight in the beauty. But He is a faithful Father and He is bringing us to a place of peace, hope and joy.

Don’t look at the wilderness around you or the storm within you and think that you are lost.

Don’t give up hope and decide that a death here, in the uncomfortable but familiar pain, is easier than the next step forward.

Don’t plant roots in the wilderness.

Keep leaning in. Keep taking it back to Him. Keep pushing forward… even if it’s one tiny baby step at a time. Hold onto His promises. He is taking you there.

Blessings, my friends.

“Fall Into Me” Journal Idea: What can you write in your journal today to give yourself hope in hard? To loop yourself back to the truth of where He is leading you? To remind yourself of His truths, His love, and His promises?

We’ve reached week #3, friends! I’m so thankful for this journey and all of you! I am literally bursting with excitement at the arrival of part three of our series! This is where we’ve been headed! This is where we begin to find true freedom in Him.

Before we jump in, I wanted to loop back to something that we discussed on day one… “Fall Into Me” isn’t a challenge to “faith it until you make it” or “willpower yourself into submission.” It’s not a conviction of guilt that says… if you are hesitating to step out of that boat or find yourself setting it down and picking it back up, then you must be falling short, not trusting God enough, not listening enough, not doing enough, or not being enough. Those are lies from the enemy that he uses to hold us back, chained to our shame and unable to move forward, defeated and drowning. In the words of Louie Giglio, “don’t give the enemy a seat at your table (today).”

“Fall Into Me” is an invitation to draw closer to a Father who loves us more than we can comprehend. It’s a deepening of your relationship with Him that will allow the faith to grow naturally. So, when you feel guilt or doubt begin to take root, focus on that last part… your relationship with Him. “Fall Into Me” is a natural leaning in, falling in, and stepping out, that will grow as you draw closer to Him and He shows you how much He loves you. There is no shame or blame in the ebb and flow of the “falling in” process. It’s just growth… and He will meet us right where we are. Today. Tomorrow. And every day after. As many times as it takes. He will be there… to catch us and to hold us.

We started this journey talking about Peter and the incredible faith that he had in Jesus. We asked ourselves… “What would it take for me to step out of that boat? To fully let go and fall into His arms? What storm, what fear, am I facing today that holds my heart hostage?”

I invite you to take a moment right now and just reflect back on that first day and how far you have journeyed… how far that He has brought you. He is so good.

We spent the first two weeks asking Him to move through our hearts and show us who we really are and who He really is. We gave Him some of our deepest scars as we ventured through painful memories, life-changing seasons, and extremely difficult and seeping wounds. It wasn’t always easy or pretty, but we started the process of allowing Him to heal us, reweave the pain, redefine the hard, and to redefine us. I know that two short weeks does not provide us with all of the answers and I know that healing some wounds takes more time, but we have grown and we have drawn closer to the One True Healer, and that’s a beautiful start to part three.

Week three is where we begin to water what He has planted within us. It’s where we pull it all together and allow it to really take root.

My prayer is that we begin to find a strength, courage and confidence like we have never known before. We may still have a hot mess on our hands, a storm that brews all around us or within us, but we also know how loved we are by a Heavenly Father who will never let us fail. And when He calls to us, in the middle of our storm, we begin to find it natural to lean in, step out, and fall into… Him. To begin to walk towards our One True Healer, our giver of hope, and our source of joy.

Thank you for sharing this journey with me friends. Here is His promise to us today: You will overcome!

He is faithful. He is good. And He is with you… today.

As we have done in the previous two weeks, I am asking that you start part three of our series by praying over this week and everything that He has in store for us. I am praying that He guides our steps and continues to heal our hearts. That He encourages our spirit and renews our strength. And I’m praying that He loves on us… just a little bit extra… as we begin to let go and fall into Him just a little bit more.

Blessings, friends!

I’ll probably never forget the day that I was knee-deep into a conversation about unforgiveness with my counselor. She knew that the unforgiveness was causing my heart to harbor anger. I knew that holding on to anger wouldn’t draw me any closer to finding joy. And yet, we found ourselves at this crossroad with no clear direction on where to go. So, she made a suggestion:

“Why don’t you try acting out a conversation with this person, Shannon? Place a pillow in a chair and tell it (them) what you really want to say, deep inside.”

“I can’t do that.”

“Why?”

“Because God wouldn’t like me to say all of those things. He would be disappointed.”

She paused for a moment and looked right at me, “Shannon, God already knows what is in your heart.”

Whoa.

For a brief minute, a wave of total shame poured over me. I thought that by not speaking it, I had somehow hidden this “stuff” away from Him so that he would be proud of how I was holding it all together to serve Him. But really, He could see it all along. And I felt ashamed.

Funny how that’s always my knee-jerk reaction: shame. It took me a while to move beyond it and truly process what she had said… He could see it all along and yet He still chose to pour His love over me. He still sought my heart and held me close. He met me there, right where I was, and He loved me just the same. So really, by trying to hide this unforgiveness, I wasn’t preventing Him from knowing it was there… I was only preventing Him from moving through it with His healing touch.

Suddenly, I’m looped back to the bleeding woman. If you’re new to the story, don’t worry… so was I. But when God took me on a journey earlier this year, He spoke to me about the bleeding woman often. You’ll find a more detailed version of her story in the book of Mark (5:24-34), but for this post, I’ve used the abbreviated version from the book of Matthew (Chapter 9, Verse 20-22):

Just then a woman who had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding came up behind him. She touched the fringe of his robe, for she thought, “If I can just touch his robe, I will be healed.”

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

Because these two verses don’t necessarily give you the full picture, I’d like to describe this woman in more detail. It is said that a bleeding disorder like hers would have meant total ostracization from her family and her community. You see, due to her disorder, she was said to be unclean. And worse, she could make others unclean with her touch or presence. So, for twelve years this hurting woman had not felt the warmth of a hug. As I process that, I simply cannot imagine how broken my heart would feel. She had suffered a great deal physically and yet could not be comforted in the arms of another as she cried. She must have been so desperate for His healing touch when she heard that Jesus was walking by!

Then I picture what she must have looked like… ostracization surely meant that all other hygiene practices were likely extremely limited. I’m sure her clothes were tattered and torn. I imagine that her body was covered in dirt (or worse). Years of bleeding and no proper access to the cleansing practices of her times likely caused an odor that she was completely helpless to remedy. I wonder if her hair was matted. I wonder if her face showed signs of a woman who had been weathered and broken. It truly squeezes my heart to imagine her this way, but this was likely her reality, however unimaginable it may feel.

Then I wonder …

What if she had looked down at herself and thought… I cannot come to Jesus like this!

What if she had left to try to quickly wash herself first?

Would she have missed Him walking by?

Would she have been so busy trying to make herself good enough for Him that she missed her healing entirely?

And more importantly, did He expect that of her?

I’m going to sit with that last question for just a moment because I find myself relating to it more and more.

I think we know the answer…

Jesus turned around, and when he saw her he said, “Daughter, be encouraged! Your faith has made you well.” And the woman was healed at that moment.

And in that one verse, I realize…

He didn’t feel repulsed.

He didn’t turn away.

He didn’t condemn her for approaching Him so “unclean.”

And He certainly didn’t tell her to come back when she’s a better version of herself.

And He won’t for me. And He won’t for you.

He isn’t asking us to bring the best version of ourselves to His table. He isn’t asking us to get all of our ducks in a row before we touch the fringe of His garment. He doesn’t need us to clear all the other clutter and come to Him with our hearts pure and ready. We are trying so hard to clean up all this mess, all this dirt, and all this debris to prepare ourselves for Him… to make ourselves “good enough,” but my friends…

He is walking by… right now! Look up and run to Him.

For just a moment, forget about the odor that your unclean makes and just let Him hold you and heal you. He isn’t asking us for anything else. The first thing that God spoke to me about the bleeding woman was that above all else, she prioritized these two words… draw close. Not cleansing. Not making herself worthy. Not being good enough. Not trying to be perfect. Draw close.

He has been pouring over us the last two weeks with His unconditional love, covering us in His grace and reminding us that we are His cherished possession, but there are still things in our heart that we haven’t given Him because we feel ashamed. There are pieces of us that we haven’t let Him touch because we feel the need to clean them up first. There is still a part of us that holds back because we just don’t have it all together… all ready yet… and we think surely He would look at us with total discontent and tell us to come back when we are more prepared.

Trust me, friends. I understand. It took me a long time to let Him into my unforgiveness and begin the healing process. I thought I had to keep it under wraps so that I would make Him proud. In reality, the only thing that I was doing was blocking His healing power from moving through it. And guess what… He’s still working in it today. But I know now that He will love me no less for it… and no more for the healing of it. I will always be loved just as much by my Heavenly Father that proudly calls me His.

Fall Into Him – Bring the Authentic You. Let Him love you just as you are. The beauty AND the things that you work so hard to hide. Because when you let Him have it all, you begin to truly realize and understand that He loves you the same today. Tomorrow. And always. And that truth, rooted deeply into your heart, will produce the faith that allows you to begin to step out of the boat and draw closer to Him.

Blessings today, friends.

On day #8 of our Fall Into Me series, we talked about the life-changing importance of truly Knowing Him. Knowing His heart. Knowing His love. Having that intimate relationship with Him. We focused on Peter’s response when the disciples saw Jesus walking on the water towards their boat:

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” (Matthew 14:28)

“Lord, if it’s you…”

I want to refocus on this response for just a moment, but for a completely different reason…

“Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

“Lord, if it’s you… tell me…”

Because that’s a key piece of the puzzle too, isn’t it? Hearing His voice. KNOWING HIS VOICE. Becoming familiar with His voice. So that we can trust in His voice.

And yet, this piece of the puzzle is sometimes the most difficult part to truly lean into and fully trust. If we had Jesus standing in front of us telling us to step out, some of us might leap over the boat railing faster than we’ve ever ran before. But there’s something about trusting a voice from a source that we cannot see that makes our heart take pause.

Is that really Him? Or is it me?

How do I know?

I’m scared to trust and lean in because what if I’m wrong and it’s not Him?

I don’t want to look stupid.

I don’t want to fail.

I don’t want to mess this up.

Ugh. This is so hard.

And we stay in that place of uncertainty, frozen in immobility, as our God-given opportunities (or our calling) waits. I have been there, too, friends.

When God has asked me to step out, I have often found myself asking… “is this you? I don’t know. This seems so…. not me. What you are asking… it’s really uncomfortable. And besides … I’m not really good at being the “right kind of Christian,” so this probably isn’t you asking me. You’d probably choose someone… else. Someone better. Someone more equipped. Someone more qualified. This must be me. Yeah… I’m sure it’s just me… being dumb.”

Good chat.

Right?

Sometimes this topic makes us feel uncomfortable… like we are somehow sinning by doubting God’s voice and that makes us a disappointment to Him. But that’s simply not true. Learning His voice is a natural part of the growth process in our relationship with Him. I’ve sat in that doubt (and sometimes still do). And He meets me there, every time, and teaches me and guides me… allowing me the space to grow and learn about who He is and how much He loves me. And in that growth, I learn to trust Him and His voice more and more.

Again, the relationship becomes the key. The trusting Him (and His voice) becomes the natural and easy byproduct of growing to know His heart.

So, what do we do? When He calls to us, how do we begin to truly recognize and trust His voice? How do we become so familiar with His voice that we don’t need to be able “see” Him in order to run towards Him with the same zeal?

The answer is both beautiful and simple my friends… we let Him teach us!

God loves us and He delights in His relationship with us. He will guide us as we lean in and seek Him. And as we become more familiar with His voice, we will become more confident in our trust of it.

So, if you’re finding that this piece of the puzzle is something that you are struggling with today, here are some easy steps and words of encouragement that you can lean into:

1. First and foremost, I encourage you to NOT create filters or expectations based on other’s experiences. One of the beautiful things about our Heavenly Father is that He knows us. Intimately and Individually. And He speaks to us in our own ways. One of the biggest barriers that we can create between His voice and our trust is when we expect to see (or hear) Him in the same way that another does. When we begin to trust that He speaks to us in our own way, it allows us to experience Him more freely and frequently within us and around us.

2. Pray and ask for confirmation. There have been many times when I felt hesitant or confused. Am I really hearing you, God? It is not a question that carries any guilt or shame. When this feeling causes me to take pause or to doubt, I simply stop and pray over His message. He will always be faithful to show you that it is His voice… sometimes through another person, a song, an encounter, a moment, or a divine experience. Trust Him to reassure your heart without fearing His finding fault in your question.

3. Speak to Him regularly. Friends, I speak with Him like I’m calling up my mom on the phone. I talk to Him about my day. About my fears. About my dreams. I talk to Him in the car. In the shower. While I’m working in the yard. The more that we spend time with Him, the more natural the relationship feels. He’s not a God that sits over us, all powerful, waiting for our moments when we drop the ball, fail, or start to sink. He’s a Father that delights in knowing our every day and having a relationship with us. Call him on your drive to pick up the kids from school or on your lunch break at work. Have a chat with Him. He loves it! He loves you!

4. Write it down! Oh, how I love this! When you feel Him speaking to you, be intentional about writing it down. About a year ago, God gave me a word. I chewed heavily on it, unable to fully invest in the belief that I had heard Him right. Literally… a few days later… I came across something that I had written in my Bible 13 years before… 13 years before, my friends! With the EXACT same word from God. Whoa! There is tremendous power in writing down His words to you, my friends! Write them down and watch them come to fruition…. He is a faithful and good father! Want to grow confidence in the fact that you are hearing Him? Begin to write it down and pray over it!

5. When you feel His nudges… take the time to dig deeper. Whether He lays a Bible verse on your heart, a song on your mind, or a person in your thoughts, take the time to dig deeper. When I started this series, I had some fears about knowing what to write. I was driving one day, heavy with nerves about it all, when I felt Him press the verse James 1:5 on my heart. A quick Google search later and I had it in front of me: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.” Wow! How relevant. And how moving. Suddenly, I realized that He was reminding me to rest in His promise that He would be with me through the process. And that’s just one example. Want to grow in confidence that you are hearing Him? Dig deeper when He presses and follow His nudges.

6. My friends, don’t allow the enemy to place thoughts into your mind that block God’s messages from reaching your heart. Thoughts like … “you aren’t good enough or worthy enough; that He wouldn’t be speaking to you or pouring into you. You simply don’t deserve it.” Maybe this isn’t a barrier for everyone, but for some of us, we struggle to believe that we deserve to have God’s blessings and favor in our lives. That we are somehow not worthy of His presence and His love. This is simply not true. God loves you more than you can imagine. Don’t talk yourself out of His voice because you feel underserving or because the enemy is whispering lies over your identity and your place in the Kingdom. You are God’s cherished possession… His beautiful child…. Wanted. Sought After. Loved. And Belonging.

7. Do not convince yourself that you must be hearing Him wrong if He’s calling you to do something big. You are not too small or too unqualified for whatever God has in store! He will equip you. He will provide you with everything you need. He has already placed treasures inside of you that have yet to be discovered. If you feel small, get ready… He’s about to show you how amazing you really are! How amazing He really is! Never feel too small to do whatever He is placing on your heart!

Friends, my prayer is that this journey is allowing you to see and feel His presence more and more. I hope that you hear Him speaking to your heart daily, calling you into His plans for your life. I encourage you to continue to use your journal daily to document His love notes, His messages, and His presence. He’s there. Always. Blessings!

……

As a special addition to today’s post, I’m sharing with you some snippets from notes that my friends shared regarding how they feel God’s presence and hear His voice. It’s absolutely beautiful how He speaks to each of us in such a unique way! Enjoy!

Rocio: He speaks to me through books.

Sandy: As I have a thought, I feel Him answer that thought.

Casi: He speaks to me through many different ways. Most of the time, I have God winks, where he places something in my path to remind me of his faithfulness.

Gerilyn: He speaks to me through nature.

Autumn: He speaks to me through my children.

Chelsea: He speaks to me in many ways. Usually when I’m in the middle of a project, something as simple as redecorating my house, he uses similarities between the project and my walk through life with him. Such as all the little faults or mistakes that I see, but aren’t seen by others. That aren’t seen by him.

Erica: I’ve had encounters with animals/birds as signs and affirmation for certain decisions in my life. Sometimes, I hear him audibly.

Carley: He speaks to me through music, signs in my surroundings, and feelings (like a gut feeling).

Sara: He speaks to me through a variety of ways… from the feelings of emotions that come over me with music…. To the dreams that he gives me when there is something specific that he wants to tell me.

Debbie: He speaks to me in the quiet of the early morning.

Casi: He gives me songs to listen to or scriptures to look up.

Mallorie: He speaks to me through “feelings” … as in my mom gut is strong and I always receive an answer even if it’s not the one that I wanted.

If you look up the definition of the word paradigm shift, you’ll see something along the lines of… “an important change that happens when the usual way of thinking about or doing something is replaced by a new and different way.” (Merriam-Webster)

When I think back to the story of Peter, I cannot imagine the overwhelming number of paradigm shifts he must have experienced in his lifetime.

People die, they don’t come back to life. But, Jesus.

People lose limbs, they don’t grow back. But, Jesus.

People step out of a boat in a raging storm, they drown. But, Jesus.

Five loaves of bread and two fish do not feed more than a few people. But, Jesus.

People are crucified and put into tombs, they are gone forever. But, Jesus.

A life overflowing with total mind-blowing and unreal paradigm shifts! Can you imagine? Watching a blind girl see for the first time or watching a lame man dance? The pure joy that must have spread across their faces. The tears that must have poured from their eyes. I would have been a total mess right along with them.

From this viewpoint, it may be easy then to judge Peter for his doubt when he looked around at the wind and waves and began to sink. How could you witness miracle after divine, mind-blowing, paradigm shifting miracle and still doubt, Peter?

But then I imagine the total surreal feeling it must have been for a man that had spent his entire life on the water (in a boat, that is) to suddenly be walking on it and I am reminded that there are times in our lives when our brain simply cannot comprehend what is happening. For Peter, I imagine that this was definitely one of them… but, Jesus!

God is the ultimate master of making the unbelievable believable. Read that again (slowly) and let it really sink in. He will make the unbelievable believable.

For the blind girl. For the lame man. For me. And for you.

He is the ultimate paradigm shift creator. The God of incredible miracles. Miracles so big that our minds will struggle to grasp what is happening. Miracles so big that we may feel a bit panicked and find ourselves searching behind us for the familiar or the norm. Miracles so big that when we begin to walk on water, we search for an explanation, or logic, that we can comprehend, and when we can’t find one, our minds race and we begin to panic. We begin to focus on what we expect to happen. We begin to grasp for the norm, the familiar, the logical. And we begin to sink. I’ve been there and like Peter, He had to scoop me up and remind me where to place my faith. And I began to learn something over time. He was teaching me something that truly changed my life…

Shannon, trust ME in the paradigm shift.

You see, when we know He loves us deeply and we begin to fall into that trust, divine and incredible things begin to move in our lives. Read that again, too! That’s His promise to you today.

Divine and incredible things are going to start to move in your life.

We may suddenly feel joy in the middle of a raging storm. We may begin to find healing in places that we thought were dead and gone forever. We may feel our spirit coming alive again after years of depression or anxiety. And my friends, our minds will grasp for logic. We will try to find an explanation. But, we will come up empty. There will be NO logic. There will be no explanation that our minds can wrap around. It’s just… Jesus.

The storm could still be raging, but you suddenly feel calm on the inside. Friends, don’t panic. Don’t think something must be wrong. Don’t grab for the familiar, your “norm,” your comfort zone, when this new reality feels strange and different. Don’t look at the wind and the waves of the storm around you and think, “this can’t possibly be happening. I’m too broken. Or this is an illusion.” No, my friends. It’s just…. Jesus.

Believe it. Rest in it. Step out in it. Dance in it!

It’s Just… Jesus.

So, the next time that your world begins to shift in a beautiful and divine way and you find yourself thinking… this just doesn’t make sense and I don’t understand it… resist arguing all the reasons why you shouldn’t or don’t deserve to have this peace and joy in your life and simply end your thought with these two words… “But, Jesus!” And thank Him for all of His goodness!

Blessings, friends!

For your journal: Keep note of the divine moves you feel in your heart and all around you. He’s moving right now, today… in the big and in the details. Allow yourself to rest in it and believe that He is the God of healing and miracles! Dance without fear. He is a good Father.

Extra note: Friends, I have personally struggled with depression and anxiety and I do not use those words lightly in my ministry. It is a real and painful journey and I see you. I am a firm believer in using every tool that you have access to when working towards healing. I speak of the healing of Jesus because He moved so powerfully through my anxiety and depression and brought me where I am today, but I also used heavy counseling, the help of friends and family, and more! If you wish to seek the assistance of a professional, there is no shame in taking that step. In fact, God placed that person in my life when I needed them. He positioned me in the path of a therapist that helped me through some of the hardest days. He is the God who provides… in every way! And He will help you find the tools and the people that you need. If you are considering suicide, friends… He loves you and He has a plan for your life and your story. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

About three years ago, my son and I planted two tiny little 5” Blue Spruce tree saplings in our backyard. Our local Forest Service was giving them away for free, small gifts to anyone interested; no sign-ups, no donation request, no strings attached.  Just free little 5” tree saplings.  We drove 60 miles to pick up our saplings, eager and excited at the opportunity to plant Blue Spruce trees in our backyard.  They are a prized tree here in Colorado, absolutely beautiful when fully grown and very expensive to purchase.  I certainly didn’t mind the extra work involved in growing my own if it meant that I could be rewarded with such an amazing view out my living room window in a few years!

At pickup, the ranger suggested that I take two saplings because he said only about 1/100 survive.  But he didn’t know me.  I was determined to get one of these babies to grow, black thumb and all!  So, we brought them home, picked the perfect spot to plant them and took great care to water and protect them all throughout the summer.  When winter came, I held my breath, hoping that I had done enough to ensure their survival, and imagine my delight when they BOTH looked very much alive and healthy the following spring after the snow had melted!  I was so very proud!

Over the next two years, we took special care to nourish, water, and protect those little saplings regularly.  They were the prized yard addition and the whole family knew to guard them well.  We were their loyal and faithful stewards, highly attentive to whatever nourished their growth and wellbeing. And by golly, those little saplings are still doing exceptionally well today, all 8” of them! 

Did you sense a bit of sarcasm there?  Because it was layered pretty heavily on that last sentence.  Three years, my friends, three years… and they stand about 8” tall!  And I find myself so frustrated. I had envisioned two glorious little Blue Spruce trees growing beautifully in my backyard by now.  Maybe only 3-5’ or so, but a delightful and stunning reward for all my hard work and dedication.  But as I look out my living room window, I can barely see the tops of them over the layer of protective rock that surrounds them.

After some additional research, I discovered that a Colorado Blue Spruce grows about 3-4” per year while it’s young, and 12-24” per year once it has matured, but a sapling … on the other hand… takes several years to really establish well and begin to shoot upwards. And as I’m staring down at this little sapling in utter discontent, I wonder… do only 1/100 survive because of the time it takes between the planting of the promise and the fruition of the beautiful view?  Does the caretaker grow frustrated, like me, and give up, leaving the little sapling to whatever growth it makes on its own, with no attention to its needs or nourishment?

And I’m sure you can see where I’m headed with this… because it’s right where God keeps taking me over and over in my life and in my calling: 

Sometimes God plants seeds in our heart, promises and visions for our future, and His words bring us hope and encouragement.

Maybe you are praying over a broken marriage.

Maybe you are praying for peace and joy in your own heart.

Maybe you are praying for a divine opportunity to open up in your career.

Maybe you are praying over a child that is struggling.

Or perhaps you are praying for a family member that is facing a difficult season.

Whatever the situation, you are faithfully giving it over to Him and, as He speaks into your circumstances, you are resting in the hope of His promises.

Friends, I understand.  I have many visions and promises written down on my prayer board…words that He has spoken to (or over) me about my life, my family, my circumstances, my calling, and/or my future.  I have leaned in.  I have faithfully nourished them, prayed over them, and taken care to guard them and steward them.  And while I find His presence and His reassurance to be the most comforting and beautiful part of every day, sometimes I still find myself feeling tired and discouraged.  Sometimes I catch myself looking over my neighbor’s fence, my eyes fixed on her gorgeous 30’ tall blue spruce trees, and wondering why I’m still standing over this 8” sapling.  And here is what He continues to speak to my heart, even today:

Falling into Him, trusting Him, stepping out towards Him, and fully committing…. also means trusting in His all-knowing and perfect timing.

Trusting that whatever He is weaving together in the details, in the quiet, in the wait, in the unseen, is better than anything that I could have dreamed for myself.  Trusting that the space that He has made for my growth in the process is watering the roots that stabilize me and draw my heart closer to Him.  Trusting that He is a good, good Father and He loves me too much to leave me here, staring at this 8” sapling. That He will make good on His promises.  And that the growth that is taking place in the unseen will produce a more beautiful fruit and future than I could ever imagine.

And that has me looped back to one of the things that we shared on week one of this journey:

We aren’t expected to blindly trust or release control into the hands of a God that we don’t know.

Friends,  He has been pouring over us for two weeks.  He has been rewriting the words on our heart, redefining and reweaving our identity, pressing on us to see ourselves through His lenses… loved, cherished, irreplaceable in the Kingdom and in His heart.   He has been faithfully showing us who He is… the God who provides, the God who shows up, the God who stays, the God who heals, and the God who sees me and sees you.  He sees our heart. He sees our fears and our dreams.  And His love for us is beyond comprehension.  Beyond anything that we can wrap our heads around.  Beyond anything we can imagine.  And in truly allowing all of that to take root in our hearts, we begin to understand that He is a Father that we can trust with His plan over our lives and we can trust in His timing, as well.

I know that waiting to see His promises realized can be hard.  I know that painful seasons can feel like you struggle to breathe as you wait to see His plan unfold.  I know that it can feel like some seeds are producing no fruit, regardless of how you take care to pray over them and give praise for them.  But I promise you this… If God has given you His promise, then He will be faithful. Don’t give up on your saplings. Keep on seeking His heart, my friends.  Draw close and be near to Him.  He will meet you there.  And you will find a love that brings your heart peace and hope in the waiting.  He will renew your strength. Keep watering what He has planted.  He’s there.  With you.  Today.

Blessings, my friends.

Last Saturday while sweating my way though spin class with a few other ladies, I found myself telling the fun, but embarrassing, story about that time my husband took me a to a fancy vineyard in Canada. Legit, friends… I’m just a simple country girl and I love me some sparkling apple cider, but I probably shouldn’t have told the sommelier (I had to look up that word) that my absolute favorite way to drink wine is ½ glass of wine and ½ glass of cheap sparkling apple cider. I kid you not… he moved down the bar and didn’t come back. And just as I’m finishing telling these ladies my story, I hear the following sentences roll out of my mouth…

“But you know, I’m just me. And that’s all I want to be.”

And guess what, friends? I meant it. In fact, when my brain did a double-take, questioning if my words were genuine, my heart did a little jig because I suddenly realized that this little (BIG) admission… came from some place deep inside. Some place that had traveled through a tremendous amount of healing to arrive here. Some place that had been touched very deeply by a God that loves me more than I could have ever comprehended.

And my friends, I’m learning that one of the most beautiful things that God can teach us during our “Fall Into Me” journey is that He does not ever (ever, ever!) make mistakes.

When He made me.

When He made you.

When He decided on our gifts.

When He designed our calling.

When He chose to love us.

When He gave us grace.

When He called us beautiful, chosen, and His.

They weren’t mistakes then and they aren’t mistakes now, no matter what road we have traveled. He meant it. And He still does. All of it.

If we allow that truth to take root in our hearts, that we are His beautiful creation and that we are not expected to mold ourselves after the world’s projection of perfection, but rather, to serve Him with everything that He gave us and made us, then we will find ourselves leaning more and more into the plan that He has laid before us. We will begin to let go of the fear and insecurities that have held us back and we will step towards Him with a renewed confidence in who we are through Him.

Friends, I am a recovering perfectionist and people-pleaser. I have spent my entire life trying to fit everyone’s mold, trying to be liked by everyone, trying to be accepted and loved by everyone, trying to get everyone else’s approval. But guess what?! It left me empty, drained, anxious, and depressed. And yet, this remains the puzzle piece that has been my biggest challenge.

You see, I could not fully embrace His plan, allow myself to freely fall into Him, without first letting go of what everyone else could (or would) think of me. What a Noah moment, right? Or moments, I should say, because He has patiently guided me and reminded me that I am His and He delights in me, just as I am. And, He delights in you, too.

Loud or Quiet.

Introvert or Extrovert.

Homebody or Adventure Seeker

Silly or Serious

Neat Freak or Messy

Right-Brain or Left-Brain Dominant

Wine Connoisseur or just a simple country girl who really likes cheap sparkling apple cider.

Friend, you are IRREPLACEABLE in His eyes.

You are one-of-a-kind. Beautiful and incredible!

He skillfully and intentionally crafted every single beautiful and amazing thing that makes you… you.

You have a purpose that you are specifically designed to fulfill. A plan that is for you alone. A calling that is only on your heart. And you, my friend, are the perfect fit.

Ever feel like you’re not really good at anything? Yeah… me too. But He has made us flawlessly and precisely fitted for His plan.

Irreplaceable…

And He doesn’t make mistakes.

Ever.

So, how do we begin to step out on the water towards Him? We allow that truth to become securely planted in our hearts and we trust it with everything we have.

He didn’t make a mistake when He made you. He didn’t have a flawed design when He pieced you together. He isn’t confused when He’s choosing you and calling you. I know you think that you’ll be the last one picked for the team, but it’s simply not true. He knows what He placed inside you. And He knows who you are.

Trust that He doesn’t make mistakes. Fall Into Him. Walk towards Him. Dance in the freedom of these truths. Begin allowing Him to break the chains of insecurity and fear. You are beautifully, wonderfully, incredibly, and intentionally made.

Blessings today, my friends!

Expect your Moses moment, my friends, because He is a faithful and good Father!

Whatever you are facing right now and however impossible it may seem, He can always make a way.

When doubt enters your mind because you simply can’t see a path that leads from where you are standing right now to where He is promising to take you, remember this…

Moses stood in that same spot, along with the thousands (or millions) of people that looked to him for leadership. The Israelites felt trapped in this place of hopeless defeat. The enemy was gaining on them and they had no way out. And while they shook with fear and panic, Moses spoke with such great confidence…

“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.”

Moses didn’t just hope that God would provide a way. He knew He would. He expected it. Because He knew what a faithful Father we serve.

But not just Moses… let’s hop over to the story of David…

While the entire army of Israelites stood shaking in fear over one man, just listen to David’s confident words to king Saul…

“Don’t let anyone be discouraged. I, your servant, will go and fight… the Lord who saved me from a lion and a bear will save me from this Philistine.”

Then, he spoke to Goliath…

“Today the Lord will hand you over to me, and I’ll kill you and cut off your head… everyone gathered here will know the Lord does not need swords or spears to save people. The battle belongs to Him, and He will hand you over to us.”

Think those are just the words of a man puffing his chest before battle? No way. David was absolutely confident that the Lord would deliver.

Truth is, I wish I had that kind of confidence, with my giants, with my healing, with my hope for things that God has promised me. But I often find myself looping back to the anxiety and fear-filled question of “but, how, God? How? I just don’t see it.”

And here is what He keeps patiently and lovingly reminding me…

When He gives us a promise, we aren’t always provided with the details, the how or the when, but one thing is always certain… He always delivers.

He delivered that day for Moses.

He delivered that day for David.

He will deliver for me.

And He will deliver for you.

Do not let your confidence rest in what you can see and understand, but rather, in what an amazing, loving, and faithful Father you serve.

Even if you cannot see the path, expect that He will make the way. Expect your Moses moment. Expect your David moment. Expect *your* moment. Because what He has promised, he will be faithful to deliver.

Here are some verses that may encourage your heart today…

“The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives” Psalm 37:23

“I am the LORD, who opened a way through the waters, making a dry path through the sea…. But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.” Isaiah 43:16, 18-19

He will make a path for you, my friends. Through your wilderness… He will make a way.

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Blessings, friends!

In your journal today, I encourage you to write a statement of confidence over whatever you are facing. Even if you don’t fully believe it, write it and pray over it. Allow God to move through it. Allow Him to show you that you can rest in Him. He will fight for you. He will make a way.

He is the God of miracles. The God who makes the unbelievable believable. The God of paradigm shifts. The God who delivers.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

Welcome to Part 4 of our Fall Into Me journey, my friends… Live Fully Alive!

What does it mean to have lasting, full, and deeply rooted joy, peace and hope, my friends? Joy that isn’t tied to the circumstances we face. Hope that isn’t shaken or uprooted by the storms we weather. Faith that isn’t deconstructed by a rocky season or an unexpected closed door. That’s living fully alive. And that’s what God wants for you, today.

I have hard days, friends. Sometimes they are rough on many fronts. Sometimes my old, long-dead giants start calling and I begin to feel overwhelmed by life or my feelings. Those are the kind of days that threaten to shake my core into a spiral, a free-fall really. In the past, I would find myself questioning everything… His promises, His presence, His seeing me. Ugh…right?! That train of thought would lead to another sort of doubt… my value and my calling. My very purpose. Then shame would come knocking. Or maybe sadness and hopelessness. Or all of the above.

I liken it to falling off the monkey bars in elementary school. The wind would get completely knocked out of me and even though it would only take me a minute to find my breath again, those 60-seconds were filled with utter panic, fear, and doubt, quickly followed by shame and embarrassment, and I often just wanted to find a place to hide from the world.

And that’s where the promise that we’ve been discussing for the last three weeks comes in… right, my friends? Because we serve a Heavenly Father that loves us deeply and will ALWAYS breath life back into us!

We may still fall off the bars from time to time. We may still find ourselves completely breathless by the impact. But when we cling to Him, He will hold us close and His presence will calm the panic, the fear, and the doubt that is threatening our peace. He will move through our pain, our fear, and our heartbreak to heal us and breath life back into us again. THIS is falling into Him. THIS is trusting Him with our heart, our hope, our peace, and our life. THIS is the beautiful, healing, foundation-building fruit that comes from a deep and personal relationship with our incredible and loving Heavenly Father.

(Insert the cheesy informercial voice…)

But wait, my friends… there’s more… (you just did the voice in your head, didn’t you?)

What’s next? What happens once we stand up and dust off? What happens when His healing touch has left our heart ready for more? More of Him. More of life. More… joy.

Here it is, my friends… here is the focus of the next week of our journey… are you ready?

WE RUN WITH HIM, MY FRIENDS!

We run with Him towards our future and our calling. We run with Him to a place of joy! We run with Him towards a life that is more than just living… it’s waking up every day fully alive. It’s deeply rooted peace. It’s full and complete hope. It’s lasting and skirt-spinning joy! It’s freedom. It’s fullness. It’s overflowing. It’s …. Jesus!

Join me for a week of absolutely beautiful challenges that will bless your life and your heart more than you can imagine! Thank you for being here on this journey with me! I’m so excited about the next 6 days! Pray with me, friends. Pray with me over the final week of our journey. Pray for guidance and His touch. Pray for His words to flow and His heart to be felt. Pray that our hearts can handle all of the beautiful and exhilarating changes that they are about to undergo! And then, dust off your running shoes and get ready!

Before I leave… I’m going to share a snippet of the lyrics from the song “Say I Won’t” by MercyMe. This is where I started my “Live Fully Alive” journey and I still find the words so powerful. Start here, my friends. Read these lyrics. Let them sink in. And, if any of these words inspire your heart, write them in your journal today!

While I’ve been waiting to live

My life’s been waiting on me

I’m gonna run

No I’m gonna fly

I’m gonna know what it means to live

And not just be alive

The world’s gonna hear

Cause I’m gonna shout

And I will be dancing when circumstances drown the music out

Say I won’t

Not enough

Is what I’ve been told

But it must be a lie

Cause the Spirit inside says I’m so much more

So let them say what they want

Oh I dare them to try

I‘m gonna run

No I’m gonna fly

I’m gonna know what it means to live

And not just be alive

The world’s gonna hear

Cause I’m gonna shout

And I will be dancing when circumstances drown the music out

Say I won’t

Say I won’t

Say I won’t

Say I won’t

I can do all things

Through Christ who gives me strength

So keep on saying I won’t

And I’ll keep proving you wrong

….

Have a beautiful week, friends! xo

Friends, you are never too ordinary (or too imperfect) to make BIG moves for His Kingdom. Believe today that God is already using you and let this truth fill your heart with joy.

Can I tell you a story about a young girl that worked at a popular fast-food restaurant in a small East Texas town? She was a delightful young woman, but I’m sure she felt that her job taking orders was probably underwhelming and not particularly fulfilling. To this day, she has no idea the HUGE impact she had on me when God used her in that drive-thru line. The way that He poured over me when she said, “have a blessed day.” The way that by simply carrying His presence with her, she was used by Him to touch my broken heart. The way that I needed that touch deep down because I had been traveling through a really difficult season and some days, like that day, I found myself trudging through the hard as part of my healing. I still regret not sharing with her the incredible impact that it had on me.

Or… can I share with you the story of a physician assistant who found himself building wood crosses as a hobby after losing his mom to cancer. Building those crosses became a way that he connected with God and felt His healing touch move through a very shattered and shaken heart. One completely random day, he took an imperfect cross to work with him with the intentions of selling it for just enough to cover the cost of materials. That afternoon, a patient walked in and began to share the heartbreaking story about the devastating loss of her son. After a few minutes together, the PA excused himself and retrieved the cross from his desk. When he came back in the room, he stumbled his way through an explanation that he felt perhaps this cross was meant for her. A month later, he received a letter. Five years after the loss of her son, she said that for the first time, she felt God’s peace enter her heart when she brought that cross home. Five years after an unimaginable loss, she began to feel His presence sooth her pain.

Little moves, my friends. Little moves with very powerful impacts!

Friends, I’ll say it again… you are never too ordinary (or too imperfect) to make BIG moves for the Kingdom.

God doesn’t see you as small. You are not insignificant, unimportant, unskilled or underwhelming. You are perfectly equipped, the exact fit, and divinely called. Your role in the Kingdom is irreplaceable.

He goes before you to prepare a way. He works within you to prepare your heart for the journey. And He walks beside you to light your path and guide your steps.

And friends… He is already using you.

But who am I? I’m nothing special. In fact, I’ll be the first to tell you how broken I really am (but Jesus!). Maybe that’s why I stopped in my tracks and found myself staring at the screen this morning when my son was watching The Superbook story, “Let My People Go.” Because when God told the 80 year-old Moses of His divine calling to lead His people to freedom, I heard Moses ask, “But who am I, God?” WHO AM I to do this HUGE thing for your Kingdom? Who Am I?

And suddenly the realization sinks in…

After Moses asked this painfully familiar question, the one that often plagues us all, he spent the next 40 years being radically and gloriously used by God over and over.

Who am I? Exactly who He needs, my friends. Exactly who He needs.

Believe that He’s already using you. Eagerly wait for His nudges. Lean into it with a willing heart. Allow Him to pour through you… even in the mundane. And let your cup be filled with joy as you watch Him use you to touch others. Live fully alive. Live in His calling on your heart daily… not just in the big. And as you rise from the difficult, delight in how He uses you to lift others!

Blessings, friends!

I would love to hear your stories of being touched or touching others through our Heavenly Father! Please drop us a comment at the bottom of this page with your testimony today! Your stories inspire me and lift my heart so much!

Your ministry matters. Your testimony matters. Your journey matters.

Friends, your story has a tremendous amount of healing power.

Feel like you don’t have anything to offer? Consider this… Sometimes the greatest gift we can receive in the wilderness is the outstretched hand of someone who has been there. Someone with a story of hope. Someone with a story of overcoming. Someone with a story that says your journey doesn’t end here. This isn’t your last chapter.

Feel like you are in a difficult season and trudging through the hard right now? Your story has the power to make someone feel less alone. To give someone the strength to take that next step towards healing. To encourage and lift someone on even the grayest days because they feel felt and understood.

My friends, your story (yes… yours!) has the tremendous power (today!) to minister to someone’s heart.

God will use your journey to reach someone that He divinely places in your path. Someone that is so desperately seeking to be seen and touched in those places deep inside their heart that feel so completely broken and shattered. Someone who, right now, likely feels lost and alone. I’ve been there and I have felt that.

I know it’s hard, friends. I know that it can make us feel very vulnerable. I know that we have been trained by society to self-preserve by saving face. But friends, there are so many blessings in using our stories to lift others.

When we lift the veil of perfection, we create space for those around us to be imperfect and share their brokenness as well. And when we can share our broken places and shattered pieces with each other, we can pray for each other, lift each other, stand in the gap for each other, and share God’s love with each other.

Sharing your story doesn’t mean you have to build a blog or write a book, although if you feel led, I’ll be your first fan and biggest cheerleader! Most of the time, though, sharing your story simply means that you ask God to use your journey to help someone that He divinely places in your path and then you open your heart to that nudge, His gentle push, and you lean in.

Friends, “it’s in your broken places where you are most often used by God.” (Christine Caine). Someone needs to know that they are not alone. Someone needs to know that there is hope. Someone needs to know that there is a brighter tomorrow. Someone needs to know that their story doesn’t end here… that He is with them right now, holding them close, making a way through the wilderness, and bringing them to a place of peace. Someone needs to know that He can heal their most broken pieces.

And it doesn’t matter if you think you are too loud, too introverted, too blunt, too grammatically incorrect, too poor of a public speaker, too simple, too country, too (insert whatever holds you back)… He will be with you, He will guide your steps and your words, and you will be the perfect fit for the person that He places in your path. Someone will hear your message because of exactly who you are and the One who walks with you.

If you are feeling broken and alone, I am praying for you today. I have felt that ache of hopelessness. I have felt the despair of feeling unseen and lost. I have been in the fetal position and thought that every tomorrow was gone. That this was my undoing. That this was the end of my story. And I promise you that He is there. Cling to Him and let Him pour His love over you. He cares deeply about your broken heart. You are not alone. You are so incredibly loved. You are seen and you are cherished. And He will see you through.

And if you have walked through the wilderness and felt His touch, His love, and His healing power flow through your circumstances and give you strength, hope, rest, and even joy, allow Him to use your hard to help another. Live fully alive. Live with a heart that seeks to help those that He divinely places in your path. Live to bring His heart to the hurting.

Blessings, friends! We are all on this beautiful journey together. May we love and lift each other! xo

Just the other day, I found myself taking a route that I knew would reduce the chance of running into someone that I was specifically trying to avoid. I thought I was being safe and cautious, guarding my heart, but I heard God enter my thoughts and it stopped me in my tracks…

“Why are you hiding?”

Because they misunderstand me. They judge me. And it hurts.

“But, I love you.”

I know YOU love me, God, but they don’t. They just… don’t.

“Shannon… Begin and End with Me.”

Live Fully Alive.

….

Friends, it will happen. Even at your best, people will still misunderstand you. They will judge you. They may even attempt to define you and label you. So, what does it mean to let Him be your beginning and your end? If you will, allow me to share my humble takeaways from His words that day…

When God says, “you are mine. You are beautiful. You are invaluable, unique, irreplaceable in the Kingdom, called, cherished, and deeply and immensely loved,” He intentionally and emphatically placed a big fat period at the end of that statement… and you should too.

We must allow this very important and highly significant truth to take root in our hearts – we are only (ONLY!) defined by Him.

But what if it’s not your identity under attack? What if it’s your calling?

Friends, do not convince yourself for a moment that the enemy thinks you insignificant. Far from it. He knows that you have beautiful and incredible divine gifts placed inside of you, that all power and authority have been given to you, and that the fulfillment of your purpose and calling means his undoing. So, what does he do? He lies. He will say that you are not enough. He will label you a failure, insist that you have fallen short too many times, and try to convince you that you are absolutely insufficient for the job.

But God says, “you are perfectly equipped, an exact fit, created for this purpose, beautiful, forgiven, covered in grace, intentionally and specifically designed for your calling and I want you to run with me… today!”

See that punctuation at the end? He means it. Don’t let the enemy place a question mark where God has already placed an exclamation point. The enemy is a liar. Tell him to leave. We don’t need to reason with him or argue with him. God has given us ALL the authority.

Punctuation matters, my friends. Believe it. Receive it. And find freedom in it.

…

Friends, God is inviting us to let Him be our beginning and our end because when we fully rest in that truth, He knows that we will find freedom, peace, and joy beyond our understanding.

Blessings, today!! He loves you.

Fall Into Me. Live Fully Alive. What does it really mean? On day #22 of the journey, we poured ourselves into this question…

What does it mean to have lasting, full, and deeply rooted joy, peace and hope, my friends? Joy that isn’t tied to the circumstances we face. Hope that isn’t shaken or uprooted by the storms we weather. Faith that isn’t deconstructed by a rocky season or an unexpected closed door.

I would love to tell you that I have mastered this phase of the plan, but the truth is… I think Part Four, Living Fully Alive, is truly a lifetime journey, not a destination. I believe that we are called to pour ourselves into the process, the learning, and most importantly, the connection… and He teaches us and guides us as we go.

I read something the other day by the Christian author, Max Lucado. He said that Jesus feared the crucifixion. I had honestly never thought of that. Of course, in hindsight, it makes total sense, but I guess it just never occurred to me. Jesus knew death was certain. And not just any death, but a very painful one. And it loops me back to a strange thought… How many of us have contemplated our own death and hoped for a peaceful passing in our sleep? Imagine knowing, without a doubt, that your fate would be the complete opposite.

Now, imagine taking your fears to God and knowing that the storm wouldn’t calm, your outcome wouldn’t change, the mountain wouldn’t be moved…

What if your marriage didn’t mend?

What if your loved one didn’t get well?

What if your prognosis was terminal?

What if you still got laid off?

What if you still struggled to pay rent?

What if your house was still foreclosed on?

What if you prayerfully expected your Moses moment and by all appearances, it never came?

Do you think that it would shake your hope?… rock your faith?… uproot your joy?

Can we be honest for a moment…

It would mine. It has mine. And that’s okay.

I can feel the gasps in the room that my confession brings. Why? Because religion would have us believe that we are NEVER to doubt God’s decision or be shaken by it. Any rocking and uprooting must mean that I am not rising to His expectations. I am falling short. But I disagree. The truth is… I believe that there is no shame in this admission. God wants your honesty. He wants your heart. He wants you. And He loves you… so He will walk with you through the hard, even if you are angry with Him.

Do you remember the bleeding woman that we spoke about on day #16? How she could have risked missing Him entirely if she had concerned herself with “cleaning up” before she came to Jesus. Friends, you don’t have to clean up the anger before you come to Him. You don’t have to clean up the confusion, the doubt, the pain or the shame.

In the book of Psalm, chapter 35, David cries out, “Lord, how long will you watch this happen?”

Later, he writes, “God, save me, because the water has risen to my neck. I’m sinking down into the mud and there is nothing to stand on. I am in deep water, and the flood covers me. I am tired from calling for help; my throat is sore.”

“I am tired from calling for help…”

I have felt that. And I was shaken.

We are going to face things on this journey that leave us beaten and bruised. We are going to face circumstances prayerfully believing that He will give us the mind-blowing, earth-shattering miracle… and sometimes… the mountain will remain unmoved. And we are confused. Grieved. Angry, even.

But He isn’t asking us to fake the day with words of joy, hope, and peace while our hearts are feeling anything but. To be honest, that’s the perfect recipe for resentment and brokenness in our relationship with Him. No, my friends.. He is simply asking us to bring it all to Him. He understands our confusion and pain and He cares, even when sometimes His answer is calming the storm within despite the rising water, the painful decision that still awaits our answer, or the end result that is not the one we so desperately sought.

And that is why we could not journey through part four without this simple message: Take it back to Him. Always. Because He is always near.

Remember, friends, He is calling us to seek Him, let Him love on us and understand His heart, thus allowing the trust, faith and peace to begin to flow naturally. You are in a safe space to be honest with Him. Allow that truth to lead you and take it all to Him… today.

Living Fully Alive does not mean that it’s always easy. It means that we always know Who we can turn to when it’s not.

“God, you are my God. I search for you.” (Psalm 63:1)

“I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of destruction, out of the sticky mud. He stood me on a rock and made my feet steady. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God.” (Psalm 40:1-3)

“Let me hide under the shadow of your wings until the trouble has passed.” (Psalm 57:1)

“God, we thank you; we thank you because you are near.” (Psalm 75:1)

Blessings on your journey, my friends. Even on the really hard days. He is with you. He is there.

One Halloween when I was in my early twenties and dating my (now) husband, he thought it would be a fun idea to take me to a local haunted house. Now, I am definitely your play-it-safe girl. I don’t usually put my body (or my heart) in any avoidable danger … at least not on purpose. Yes, I am almost guaranteed to be painfully and boringly risk-averse in many thrill-seeking, life-on-the-edge type situations (and that does include haunted houses in my book). But on this day, against my better judgement, I reluctantly agreed to walk through a terrifying maze of heart-stopping horror with my best friend because he absolutely promised me that he would be there every step of the way.

Well, as I’m sure you have already guessed, about midway through the haunted house, we got separated. He’s a lucky man because I still love him beyond measure all these years later, but there I stood, terrified… and absolutely frozen. Yes… I was *that* girl. That is, until one kind soul dropped character and asked me if I would like to be escorted to the exit. That sweet young man walked me all the way to the final hallway. But just as I felt my panic begin to dissipate, Mr. Chainsaw jumps out and I screamed all the way past the entrance line at the door and well into the parking lot. And I kid you not… there was my husband… laughing hysterically. Like I said, friends… he is a lucky man because I still married him, even after all that.

We have a good time laughing at the story now, but as I reflect more seriously back on a life in the safe zone, I realize just how many times I have found myself in that same frozen state, unable to move forward because I so greatly feared the unknowns. Social situations. Family situations. Career opportunities. Adventure opportunities. And even God-given calling opportunities. And in that reflection, I begin to understand that I have welcomed this approach to life because I have erroneously convinced myself that if I remain in my safe space then I can control all of the outcomes.

I can control what touches and affects my heart. I can control my disappointments and my failures. I can control my fear of the unknown (by simply not venturing into it). And I can control what people think of me << yes, that too. Of course, we know in our hearts that believing in this kind of power or influence is undoubtedly flawed thinking, but still we chase the sense of control because we fear the crushing damage that could occur if we truly let go.

If this speaks to you, friends, I’m right there with you. It can be both painful and terrifying to jump when you’ve spent your entire life protecting your heart. Just the thought of stepping out can make your legs feel weak and your stomach drop. And like me, you may find yourself frozen in place, desperately seeking the comfort and protection of your safe zone often.

But friends… I’m growing and my stay-safe approach is being beautifully challenged.

You see, God often calls us to jump WITH Him into our purpose and rest in the fact that He is already there… even in the uncomfortable and the unknown. He goes before us and He provides the way.

The invitation is there and it’s up to me to decide… Follow Him and fully “Fall Into Him” or allow my fear to hold me back and remain frozen in my “safe” space? Make no mistake, friends – He will wait for me (and you) but I know that my “Live Fully Alive” freedom and joy is on the other side and I know that all I have to do is collect my courage and jump… fully into His arms.

Friends… God is so incredibly good and I know that any plan He has in store for you is absolutely beautiful and full of blessings. He is life. His plan becomes the cup that overflows. He guides you to a place of joy, peace, and rest. And in His presence and His calling, you are truly safe.

I know this because I know Him. And it is in knowing Him, truly knowing Him, that I have learned that His heart is for me (and you). He desires us to simply draw close and allow Him to pour over us and guide our steps. And now we just have to make the decision to trust and follow… even if we are afraid.

Here’s the best part, though… unlike my (amazing) husband who totally dropped the ball that night at the haunted house, God will never leave you to walk through anything alone. Whatever He is calling you to journey through, He will be right by your side. You will never walk a day, or even a moment, alone. He will always be near you.

And when you feel fear, you can whisper to Him that you are afraid. When you feel frozen, you can call His name. When you feel ill-equipped, you can ask Him to remind you who you are. He will always speak into your heart and bring you through.

If you find yourself afraid of whatever God is calling you to do, friends, here are some truths for your journey, to give you strength and courage today…

*You are able because He has already equipped you.*

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Ephesians 2:10

*You will never walk alone because He is already there.*

Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the LORD will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.” Deuteronomy 31:8

*You are in safe hands because He will always protect and provide.*

The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.” Psalm 32:8

*You don’t need a map that tells you how you will get there because He will show you the way.*

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. Proverbs 3:5-6

*And you don’t have to fear the outcome because He is good and His plans for your life are good.*

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

*All you have to do is fully Fall Into Him… trust Him… even if you are afraid… because you know who He is and how much He loves you.*

I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:13

If we want to Live Fully Alive, my friends, we have to accept His invitation to step out of the boat. It will mean fully embracing the unknowns simply and beautifully because *WHO WE KNOW* is more important than *what* we know. It does not mean that there will always be an absence of fear. It simply and beautifully means that we trust and choose the One who calls us more.

We can do this, friends. We can fall into His plan, His calling, and His arms. Take my hand. Step out with me. And let’s watch Him absolutely shake our world up and show us how to live fully alive in Him today! Blessing, friends!

Jesus, please breathe new life into me, today. Speak your calling into my heart. And light my path so that I may always follow where you lead. Thank you for all your blessings. Thank you for all your goodness. And most of all, thank you for loving on me so much throughout this journey.

…

Fall into Me.

Let Go.

Hear My voice.

Allow My truths to break through your walls.

Allow My love to clear the debris, the fallout, and the damaging shards that continue to cause you pain.

Allow My touch to heal you, and…

Allow My heart to make you whole, again.

Step out of the boat.

Walk towards Me.

Trust Me.

Take My hand.

I am here. I am with you. And I will not let you drown.

And when you’re ready… we will run…

Towards joy…

…and living fully alive…

Together!!

…

These are His promises, my friends. This is His heart, today.

And He will meet you right where you are.

…

Friends, this is not the end of your story. You are not a product of your difficult seasons or defined by your mistakes, forever stuck in this cycle of pain, shame and insecurity. You are made new in Him, today. He has called you His and He has promised to reweave your broken heart, to heal you, and to give you peace and hope. He can rewrite the labels that weigh you down, the brands that the enemy tries to forever place on your heart, and replace them with His truths…

You are chosen, loved, belonging, known, beautiful, gifted, special, irreplaceable, highly valuable, the light of the world, royal, holy, called, and with purpose. You are accepted, redeemed, loved and enough. And He delights in you. Today. These are His truths.

Allow Him to show you who you are in Him. Be intentional about declaring His truths over your identity. Let His words take root and grow in your heart. Because the only labels that matter are His and He loves you, today. The same as yesterday. The same as tomorrow. He will never love you more or less than this very moment. And you don’t have to earn His love or be “enough,” my friends. You just have to let go and fall into it.

Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. 1 Peter 5:8

My friends, the enemy will always try to make you feel insignificant and small. He will always remind you of your mistakes, your imperfections, and your insecurities to make you feel unworthy, weighed down, and held back by shame. He will try to convince you that there is no hope and you are alone. He will try to use past seasons of hurt to keep you in a cycle of pain, defeat, and exhaustion. And worse, He will use any tool that He can to convince us that we have failed God, or He has failed us.

If you are struggling with any of these things today, if they are holding you back from joy, peace, or rest, I encourage you to lay them at God’s feet and ask Him to reveal His truths. He will help you uproot what the enemy has planted. He will help you identify when the enemy is using your painful seasons to pull you under again. And He will help you take back your authority.

He will remind you who you are in Him. His presence will bring you comfort and peace. And His loving touch will begin to truly heal your broken heart.

Friends, there is so much power in His promises.

How do I know? Because I know Him.

From the beginning, this journey has been about drawing close. It’s not about willing ourselves to submit or faking it until we make it. It’s about our relationship with Him. It’s about His love. It’s about truly knowing His heart because in seeking Him, we have grown to truly know Him. In drawing close, in feeling His presence pouring over us, we have found that the surrender (and the faith) have become natural extensions of that connection with Him.

“Lord, if it’s you…”

In our most difficult seasons, He is there. He is the God who shows up. The God who stays. And the God who sees us through. He is always there. And when we reflect back on His presence in the hard, in the storm, and in the wilderness, we realize…

He is the God who delivers. And there is so much power in that promise.

We may be sitting in His waiting room, struggling to understand our season or our circumstances, but a lifetime of kept promises allows me to stand on His truth that whatever He is working in the unseen, in the details, and in the wait… He is for me and I am always on His heart. I trust it. I will lean into it. And I will lean into Him.

I know that waiting to see His promises realized can be hard. I know that painful seasons can feel like you struggle to breathe as you wait to see His plan unfold. I know that it can feel like some seeds are producing no fruit, regardless of how you take care to pray over them and give praise for them. But I promise you this…

If God has given you His promise, then He will be faithful…

…because if there’s one thing I know for certain… He sees me. And He sees you. We are not alone, forgotten or insignificant. He is always there. And He is inviting us to rest in His truth that whatever we are facing, whether it feels big or trivial, He cares about it because He cares about us. He loves us deeply and He knows us by name.

He meets you right where you are, my friends. He weeps with you. He dreams for you. And He will make a way. You can bring your broken to Him… always… and He will begin to pour over you and show you a path to your new tomorrow. We need only to draw close to Him. To be near Him. And He will do the rest.

Don’t plant roots in the wilderness, my friends. Believe that He is with you and He will see you through.

Keep leaning in and taking it back to Him…

…He will meet you there… in your unfiltered, unclean, and uncluttered…. He will always meet you there.

He isn’t asking you to wait until you can bring “the best version of yourselves” to His table. No, the invitation reads, “come as you are,” today.

Let Him hold you. Let Him heal you. Bring the authentic you. Bring it all. Don’t hold back…. fall fully in…and witness the “impossible” healing begin to take place.

The joy you thought was only meant for others will begin to take root and grow in your heart. You’ll find yourself walking on water without understanding… but, Jesus! He is the ultimate paradigm shift creator. The God of incredible miracles. And He is for me and He is for you!

You see, when we understand that He loves us deeply and we begin to fall into that trust…

divine and incredible things start to move in our lives.

That’s His promise. Trust it. Trust Him.

Don’t just hope for your “Moses moment,” your path through the wilderness, your victory over this season, or this battle, BELIEVE IN IT because He is working in the unseen, right now, making a way.

You see, He didn’t make a mistake when He made you. He isn’t confused when He’s choosing you and calling you. He will not leave you in the desert to be overtaken by your enemy. He knows who you are. He knows what you face. And He will always make a way.

He is calling us to run with Him, friends. To believe in His love for us, to fall into His arms, to allow His healing power to move through us, and when we are ready… to dust off, and to fly!

To live fully alive!

Are you ready? I’m ready! Let’s chase joy! Let’s chase freedom in Him! Let’s move beyond our “safe” space and fall fully into His arms. Let’s witness Him using our story to help others. Let’s invite Him to be our beginning and our end. And let’s watch Him take our impossible and make it possible!

Let’s dance… together… and shake the Kingdom with our victory song… today!

Blessings on your journey, friends! xo