Tag: encouragement

Life

Be Encouraged

Shaun Bradford

I can hear William Becton singing –

Be encouraged no matter what's going on,
He'll make it all right,
But you gotta stay strong.

I know right now it's impossible to see,
But God is gonna work it out if you just believe.
Remember this one thing while you're going through,
If God delivered Daniel, He'll do the same for you.

Be encouraged no matter what's going on,
He'll make it all right,
But you gotta stay strong.

Know your labor is not in vain.♥️
Stay in prayer while waiting and listening for your next moves.

Y’all, politics is not my thing. I have never been interested in being involved in more than encouraging people to vote and showing my support by sharing information. Now I am doing things that are stretching me far beyond my comfort levels. I’m not sure what God is doing; however, I know from experience that whatever this is it’s preparing me for future endeavors. As Bishop Jakes says, you cannot have change without disruption, and boy has disruption come.

Here is what I have learned and am still learning – my job is to lean into God, allow Him to lead, move when He says move and be still when He says be still. AND I must do ALL of this while operating from a space of peace. Talk about challenging, but if He believes I am capable of doing it, then I can do it.

Shaun

Life

Gems From July 7th

Shaun Bradford

I did not draw anything this morning. I actually slept in. Had a few crazy dreams but slept really well. Guess I needed a change of scenery or to be with my parents. I miss my mom. Her ashes were buried in a cemetery near here. I don’t usually visit graves after people die, but I have to go see my momma. I miss her so much.

Well, since I do not have anything new to share, I will share a few past gems from this day, one of which I reshared this morning on Facebook.

Facebook Memory: July 7, 2022

What a message! Blessings will get you through the lessons while the lessons prepare you for greater blessings. Just have to make it through the lessons…

Facebook Memory: July 7, 2019

I reshared this memory this morning with the following quote:

Still enjoying BET Plus, a vision that came to fruition. A couple of months before I snapped this picture at Essence Festival, I had attended Madea’s Farewell play. During the intermission, they played a video of Tyler Perry celebrating 25 years in the industry. I believe it was in this video that he mentioned Tylervision, which is very similar to BET+.

Y’all, we really must stay the course! If God has put a dream in your heart, I don’t care how impossible or outlandish it may seem, stay the course because IT WILL HAPPEN. You may have setbacks and become discouraged, but stick with it. Sometimes you have to put blinders on so that you are not constantly comparing your growth to others. Celebrate them, then put those blinders on and keep grinding. IT WILL HAPPEN!♥️ Tyler Perry is THE GOAT!

I was so excited to see this! Do you know how wonderful it feels to see someone’s dreams come to fruition? I don’t know about you, but it makes me hopeful because I KNOW God loves me too, which means my dreams will also happen.

Facebook Memory: July 7, 2018

Whew!! When I tell you this path has been anything BUT straight. I’m not going to lie, I have wanted to throw in the towel numerous times. Yet, here I am five years later, still following God’s lead. I know He’s taking me somewhere wonderful! I trust Him.♥️

Okay… that’s it for today. After I make a few posts on my other platforms and respond to notifications, I’m shutting things down for a while. I need to be present and enjoy my family. I love y’all!♥️

Shaun

Life

Be Still

Shaun Bradford

For several years now, I have shared the same message, “Be still” or “Be still. God is working.” Thought I would continue the tradition and share it again today along with another message I reposted several years ago.

Today, I would like to encourage you, as I encourage myself, to be still and wait on God. Do not move until He gives you His approval. Resist the urge to help. Believe me, He does not need our help to move things along a little faster. Yes, the wait can be long and tedious. I know you are tired, so am I, but as we have witnessed many times before, it’s always best to wait on God. His timing is perfect.

Have a blessed day!♥️

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Today’s Hello Sunday is dedicated to my mother. Still can’t believe she’s gone.

After Momma passed, I found a letter she had written to us, her children. That’s what she had written on the envelope, “Children.” It was sealed with an address label from where she lived decades ago. I did not read it then. Decided to wait and open it when all of us were together. When I tell you I felt like I was in a movie! I had been through her things many, many times before and had not seen the letter until I was about to leave town to go help my siblings make her final arrangements. When I tell you the suspense was killing me!

As soon as our last sister arrived–took her hours to get there–we read the letter. It began with, “If you are reading this letter, it means that the inevitable has happened.” Y’all, we laughed. Only she could make something so serious sound like we were on a crime show.

Well, the letter was very direct. She did not sugarcoat anything. She told us about her life as an adult and her desire to be a great mom. Some things she knew she got right while others she really struggled with because she had us at a very young age. (Note– While she was still coherent, we did tell her that she was a great mom and how much we loved and appreciated everything she had done for us.) One of the things that surprised us was the fact that she had been very ill for a long time. None of us knew this. The reason she had written the letter was because she did not believe she had much longer to live. Now, this was written three years post paraplegia. Listen… I’m here to testify and tell you she lived another 21 years! Y’all, the letter was dated September 18, 2001.

When I tell you God is so good and merciful. There’s nothing like His love and grace. It just goes to show you that we cannot put a time limit on life nor can we give up. We may feel down today and believe this just has to be the end of the road; then, end up living decades more.

Today, I am going to let Dorothy have her final say. Below is a copy of one of her newsletters from The Encourager. I tried to find one from May; however, the closest I could find was from April 2003. While reading it, I could see her in her words written about not being able to walk or see well. That was her. She was describing herself.

Be encouraged. God’s got you!♥️

Thanks for reading. Wishing you a wonderful week!

Shaun

Life

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Sometimes we win. Other times we lose.

Sometimes we seize great opportunities. Other times we don’t.

Question

How do you cope – or attempt to cope – when things don’t go as planned? You know, after you have experienced a loss or have been disappointed?

Here’s what I wrote on this date in 2018. It was in response to the following quote — “Things didn’t work out [loss, disappointment, setback] because better things are in the works.”

Facebook Memory: December 18, 2018

Good Morning! We’re two weeks away from 2019!! Can you believe how fast this year passed? It’s crazy! Here’s today’s social media find. I know you may have set goals for this year that didn’t happen. You had it all played out in your mind how this year was going to be “Your Year!” And you feel like it was everything but your year (believe me, I know the feeling). However, from years of experiencing God’s love, mercy and grace, you KNOW better is coming! Things didn’t work out because they weren’t supposed to. Whatever’s coming is going to blow your mind! Y’all know how God loves to show out!!😉💃🏽💃🏽 Here’s the thing, you cannot settle when you’re feeling down. You cannot stop believing because you don’t see anything happening. You must continue to push forward! Y’all, the best God has is on it’s way! Don’t give up!!

I like how I wrote–

“Things didn’t work out because they weren’t supposed to. Whatever’s coming is going to blow your mind!”

Looking back, I am pretty sure I was trying to encourage myself after what I considered a loss or disappointment. Transparent moment: This is one of my ways of coping. It’s how I remain hopeful.

Did it work?

Does it work?

ABSOLUTELY!

Although we still have two weeks left, I am exiting 2022 knowing that some things did not go as planned because they just were not meant to.

AND…

I’m entering 2023 KNOWING (had to make that BOLD because I’m feeling it) better is coming! Amen

Y’all, I am truly thankful for God’s love, mercy and grace. I thank Him for holding me up when I just knew I would fall. I thank Him for holding my heart together when I thought it was shattering. I thank Him for walking with me while I was afraid. I thank Him for encouraging me and restoring my hope, daily. We all know life is not easy. Y’all, I am beyond grateful God is in this thing with me. I’m Blessed

Only two weeks left in 2022! I pray you had an overall amazing year!♥️

Shaun