Tag: favor

hope

Hello Sunday

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

How are you?

I pray that you’re well.🌸

By the way—Welcome to my Birthday Month!😌🎉

For those who don’t know, I LOVE celebrating my birthdays, and I usually celebrate the entire month of June. So, if you don’t like people being extra, you may need to mute me because I tend to celebrate any and everything. Lol. Listen, if a butterfly happens to cross my path and I smile (all it takes is a smile), baby, that’s God’s gift to me and ONLY me.☺️ Yeah… prepare to be sick of me.

I love life.

I love my birthdays.

And I absolutely love my God.

Now that I’m getting older, every day and every year I’m alive feels more and more special. Just knowing that I am still here, and that I am surrounded by love, makes my heart sing praises to my God. Father, I thank You.🙏🏽

The theme I chose for Year51 was “Beyond Blessed,” and I am blessed. I am truly, truly blessed. I’m not sure what this coming year’s theme will be. I still have a few weeks to come up with something. Until then, I hope you’ll stick around and celebrate my month with me. And to everyone celebrating a birthday in June—Happy Birthday Month to YOU! Let’s celebrate!!🎉

I pray you have the most amazing day! May it be filled with pure, unconditional love, indescribable peace, and an abundance of joy. YOU deserve it!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

hope

Never Settle For Less Than God’s Best

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

How are you?

I hope you’re doing fabulous!🌸

This Facebook memory from three years ago has me smiling.

“YOU are worthy of God’s absolute best. You don’t have to settle for less.”

When I look back over my adulthood, I can list times when I settled for “good enough.” That job was “good enough” because it paid the bills. That relationship was “good enough” because I didn’t have to be alone—but I felt lonely (Whew!). My life was “good enough” because wanting more meant stretching myself and becoming uncomfortable.

I’m smiling because I can see how my life has changed over the past few years, especially since turning 50. That’s when I stopped settling for “good enough” and began striving for THE BEST—the best for ME. Now, my “best” may not be your idea of the best, and that’s okay. For a long time, I made decisions based on what others thought was best for me, leaving me feeling miserable. Y’all, trying to live up to other people’s expectations will drain you mentally as well as physically. Believe me, you breathe a lot easier when you dance to the beat of your own drums. PLUS, I don’t know about you, but God won’t let me settle for less than His best. He just won’t.

Today is the last day of May, which is significant in so many ways. For me, it’s the day that one cycle ends and another begins. Tomorrow, I enter my 52nd birthday month. Praying that God graces me with immeasurable favor and that He blocks every weapon meant to hinder or destroy me or my progression. May He cover me with His love and surround me with His peace and joy. Amen

Repeating my affirmation from three years ago (please feel free to do the same):

“I am worthy. Yes, ME. I am worthy of God’s best.”

I pray you have a wonderfully blessed day. May God’s love and peace surround you and your family.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

hope

This Is How God Works

Shaun Bradford

This is how God works in my life! When I tell you He loves me!🥰

Short story…

Last night, in my post, “Service Before Self,” I wrote—

“I miss that life [Air Force life]. I miss the camaraderie. We were more than coworkers and colleagues. We were family.”

I ended it with—

“I believe I need to visit an Air Force base soon. I need to see my people.”

Fast forward to God hearing and delivering!

Below is a reply from my friend, who happens to be a retired Air Force Lt. Colonel. Notice the time stamp: Friday, 8:55 PM. That was the time she replied to one of my Facebook stories. Well, I didn’t see it until after 8:00 AM this morning.

After seeing her message, I called her several times, but the calls kept failing. Then, I texted and messaged her, but she never responded. By 8:30, I was heading to her house. When I tell you all kinds of thoughts were going on in my head. “What if she was on the road and her car broke down?” “What if she was hurt or needed me to drive her somewhere?” “What if she had fallen and couldn’t get up?!” She is 84, so it’s possible (plus she’s always joking about it😅). So, what was I supposed to think?

By the time I got to her house, I was in tears and preparing myself for the worst. Her car was in her driveway, so she wasn’t stranded somewhere. I rang the doorbell, and guess who came to the door smiling? It was her, all happy to see me. All I could do was hug her. Y’all, she had forgotten that she had replied to my story. And her message was supposed to say, “Call me” instead of “Car.” Ugh… That crazy autocorrect! And when she said she needed “some help,” she meant she needed help finding something.

Anyhoo… I ended up spending the day with her and having a lovely time. It wasn’t until this afternoon that I realized God had given me what I wanted and needed—time with my Air Force family, and I didn’t have to wait.🥰

I am forever in awe of my God! I cannot express enough how truly grateful and blessed I am.♥️

Shaun

** By the way… THE COUNTDOWN IS ON!!! In exactly ONE MONTH, I will be 52!!!🎉🎉🎉

hope

Holding My Treasures Close

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

How are you?

I hope you’re well.🌸

May 23, 2022

I wrote that three years ago. Today, I’m holding my treasures even closer. They are invaluable.💖

I pray you have a lovely day and beautiful weekend. May it be filled with love, peace, and joy.♥️

I love you,

Shaun

hope

God’s Glory

Shaun Bradford

God’s glory can be found in even the darkest of moments. Seek out His glory. Better yet, allow His glory to shine through you.♥️

Love you always,

Shaun

hope

I’m There

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

I shared the following on May 12, 2022—

Thank You, Lord for hearing my prayers and making this side of 50 different. Amen

That was God’s word to me three years ago, which I so graciously shared with you. Smile. You’ll never get to where you want to be if you can’t see or feel yourself there. It’s all about mindset.

Same questions as before:

– Can you see yourself there?

– Can you feel yourself there?

– Are you already there?

Me, I’m already there.

I’m there (here), fully immersed in and experiencing it all.

Y’all, God is so good! When I think about where my life and mindset were three years ago compared to where they are now, all I can do is praise God. I’m so thankful that He never gave up on me. So grateful that He kept nudging me forward when I felt like giving up and when I wanted to settle. I am so very blessed.

I pray you have an exceptionally wonderful week. Remember to keep God first and keep shining!✨♥️

I love you always,

Shaun

hope

When God Moves

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

Over the past month, I have watched God move in ways I have never witnessed or experienced before. Last night, when I shared that my spirit was having its own praise and worship moment, I was still in awe of how God had shown up hours earlier. Even as I write, I can’t help but praise God.

Short story…

Almost a year ago, I received a direct message from someone asking me if I would share an event on my Mississippi Thriving Facebook page, and I shared it. About a month later, I attended a luncheon for women veterans, and the person who asked me to share her event was the guest speaker. Towards the end of the event, I introduced myself to her, and she invited me to have coffee (hot chocolate for me) the following week. She was looking for volunteers to sit on the planning committee for the event I had shared for her. Well, what was supposed to be a quick meeting turned into a two-hour conversation. During our conversation, she shared her vision of providing resources, services, and assistance to unhoused communities in Central and South Mississippi.

When I tell you our meeting was divinely orchestrated! I had asked God for a mentor to help me with my nonprofit, which had been sitting idle for three years, and He sent her. After a couple of conversations with her, I finally launched my nonprofit.

Since meeting my mentor, who is now my newest friend (as you can see, I’m not ready to share her name yet), I have made more connections with the community than I made while doing community-based research—nearly 20 years. I have also participated in more community events (participating in another in a few hours) in less than a year than I have in my entire career. When I tell you I am so in awe of God! I asked, and He moved.

Yesterday, I attended my first public hearing to support my friend. If you didn’t know, providing assistance to the unhoused community isn’t very popular with cities. Over the last several months, my friend has had to jump through hoops to renovate an abandoned hotel that she and her husband have planned to turn into a day/resource center for the unhoused. Yesterday was another hoop… BUT GOD!!! When I tell you I watched God work! Yesterday, when I shared “God has the final say,” I was sitting there watching Him in action. At first, things appeared to be going downhill, but at the last minute, it all worked out in their favor.

Listen, you can’t tell me what God can’t do! When He gives you a vision or dream, hold on to it. It may take years to come to fruition, but it will happen. Also, timing is everything. We both talk about this all the time. Them acquiring the hotel, which had been sitting abandoned for years, was all about timing. Even our connection was about timing, and my obedience. You see, I almost didn’t go to the women veterans event. Kept making excuses all that morning, all while hearing I needed to go. Talk about an opportunity that could’ve been missed!

I can’t say it enough—God is so good! I just love the way He loves me. I asked for this side of 50 to be different, and lo and behold, He’s making it happen. I am so very blessed.

This is all I have for now. I pray that you have a beautiful day. You deserve it!♥️

I love you always,

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 91

Shaun Bradford

Over the past four years, I have used this same graphic in different posts. However, the first time I used it was on May 4, 2021. I went to look for further context and could only find this graphic and caption, “Make it happen.” Even on this site, I had only shared the graphic in the story format (when WordPress was doing stories).

Although I couldn’t find any other details, I decided to add a couple of scriptures from this morning’s reading. I believe they are aligned with the message of God setting the stage for me to make things happen.

Isaiah 46:10-11 (NIV)

10. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’

11. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.

There’s a purpose and plan to be fulfilled—God’s purpose and plan. And today, I am prepared to make it happen♥️ ~Shaun

Now, I’m the woman in the graphic—“The stage is set, Shaun. Make it happen!”
hope

God’s Smile

Shaun Bradford

Good Morning☀️

Singing—

“God has smiled on me, He has set me free. Oh, God has smiled on me, He’s been good to me.”

Thankful for God’s smile—God’s favor. I am truly blessed.

I pray that you have a wonderful day!♥️

I love you,

Shaun

hope

God’s Patience

Shaun Bradford

I am so very grateful for God’s patience with me. This journey has been long, tedious, and exhausting. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I have wanted to give up—BUT GOD!

God, thank You for being patient with me.🙏🏽

Shaun♥️