Tag: my journey

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. 92

Shaun Bradford

Last year I wrote—

“Heal so you can grow. If you do not heal, you will never grow to reach your fullest potential.”

Now, you’ll grow, and grow well in certain areas of your life, but you’ll never reach your fullest, God–ordained potential. At least, that’s what God told me, and I passed the message along to you. Smile.

When I turned 50, I asked God to allow me to live out my next 50+ years differently than my previous, and one of His answers was that I needed to heal. As much as I wanted to reset my life, I still had baggage I never fully unpacked or addressed—shame, guilt, disappointments, heartbreaks, and other hurts. I had to address them first so I could begin healing.

At first, I felt like my world had been turned upside down. Nothing was the same. My mom had just passed the month before. Then, God kept revealing the areas where I needed to make changes. I called it my pruning season because baby, I was being PRUNED! I was being pruned in all the places I needed healing. So, it was necessary.

Now, here I am, almost two years on this side of 50, and I can honestly say my life has changed—for the best. Not only do I feel it, but I’m beginning to see it, too. Although it’s all new, and I’m still working through some things—healing is a journey—I love my new life over 50. I’m determined more than ever to reach my fullest potential before I leave this earth. I want to see every God–given dream from childhood until now manifested. My recent experiences with so many second chances only prove that I’m not too old or too late for them to come true.

God is so very good. I’m blessed.♥️

Shaun

hope

Trust Your Journey

Shaun Bradford

Trust God.

As long as He’s leading the way, you can also trust your journey.♥️

Love you,

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

Grateful For Second Chances

Shaun Bradford
Full circle.

Singing—

“You gave me
A second chance
You forgave me
like only You can 
You gave me 
A second chance.

For You’re the God of a second chance.”

Yesterday, while I was trying to figure out what God was doing with my life—because I had not remembered asking to go the route my life seems to be going at the moment—I had one of my “aha” moments. On several occasions in my life, I missed what God was doing because I was so focused on things not going the way I planned or looking like what I envisioned. The opportunities to have what I always dreamed of were there, but I kept missing them because I was so focused on my circumstances rather than the opportunities.

For those who haven’t been following me long, as a child, I dreamed of “world peace.” President Jimmy Carter and Sally Struthers were my inspiration. In my eyes, they were both doing things to save the world, and I wanted to help.

In middle school (junior high back then), I started taking French and Spanish classes. Then, I met a group from Switzerland who was visiting our school and decided I wanted to live in Switzerland—hence the reason I’m so set on the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland. By the time I reached the 11th grade, I already knew I would be living abroad doing some kind of work to make this world better. I had a French, student teacher who had just returned from a mission in Sri Lanka. She had a nose ring and wore saris and sandals, and I thought she was one of the coolest people in the world. She told some of the best stories. Then, I had another student teacher, a UN Peace Keeper, who did mission trips around South Asia. Y’all, I just knew I would eventually be like them until I had a dream and saw myself at the UN speaking to leaders from so many nations. That’s when I decided I should go more of the corporate route and become a translator or interpreter.

Long story short, NONE of it happened!

Instead, I went to college for a semester and decided college wasn’t for me, so I joined the Air Force. Now, here’s where the opportunities came and kept coming, but I missed them because they didn’t look like what I spent my entire childhood planning for. When I was in Basic Training, I was asked if I wanted to take a foreign language test for either French or Spanish or both, and I declined. I was too afraid I wouldn’t pass them. Get this, they asked me TWICE! I declined both times. The next opportunity came when I received orders to Germany. I didn’t want to go to Germany, so I never took advantage of the opportunities I had there. Opportunities like learning the German language or traveling to France. I was stationed near the border and about a 4-5 hour drive from Paris—we even had tours going there all the time—and I didn’t go. Was waiting on my boyfriend to go with me (that’s a whole-nother story🙃). I also wanted to go to Greece and didn’t go. Y’all, I was even stationed in Turkey and didn’t go to Greece. Now, don’t get me wrong, I did travel within both countries but never did the things I said I wanted to do because I couldn’t see past what I envisioned. Talk about a word!!!

So, yesterday, while I was trying to figure out where God was going with all this (a few more things happened yesterday that had my mind spinning, too—this has been some week!), He dropped in and reminded me of those missed opportunities. He told me that even though what was happening didn’t look like what I saw, this was it! This is part of the process. If I want to get where I saw myself all those years ago, I must go through this first.

Ha! Then, this morning, I saw the Facebook memory above.

Full circle.

A second chance.

Last June, I started my term as president-elect, and on June 1st, I begin my term as president.

My life.

My journey.

I know God is with me.🙏🏽♥️

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 90

Shaun Bradford

The message: Do Not Be Afraid

Do not be afraid, for I am with you…” Isaiah 43:5

Several posts ago, I wrote that I was singing— “Lord, whatever You’re doing in this season, don’t do it without me.” Ha! You know, when you say things like that, you open doors for God to do more in your life. And the word “more” also means “the unknown.” Scary, huh?

The scripture above is from this morning’s readings. It’s the assurance I needed to keep trucking along on this journey. I know God is with me. I have never doubted that He was. However, sometimes I need to hear from HIM (not from someone online or a sermon, but from God himself) that He is and always will be with me through this journey. I am not sure where God is leading me. Honestly, at times, I feel completely lost because nothing is going as I planned—things are just happening. But I guess when you say things like, “Have Your way, Lord,” “Your will be done,” “I’m Your vessel, do what You want to do,” and “I’m open to whatever You want to do in my life,” and the list goes on—you open yourself up to whatever God wants to do. Whew, the things I say and agree to in my conversations with God!🥴

As I smile through tears—happy and nervous tears—one thing I am certain of, and can always be sure of, is that I don’t have to fear anything because God is with me. I’m covered.♥️

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 88

Shaun Bradford
God’s leading the way.🙏🏽

Isaiah 42:16

I will lead the blind by ways they have not known, along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth. These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.

I am following God’s lead. I’m not sure where He’s taking me; however, I trust Him to “turn the darkness into light” and “make the rough places smooth.” I know He will be with me every step of this journey.

I trust, You, Lord.♥️

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 87

Shaun Bradford

These last few weeks, I have been sitting in God’s presence and watching Him work—not through social media, but in my life and through the lives of those around me. Y’all, I am forever in awe of His goodness, kindness, grace, and love. I am blessed. We are blessed.♥️

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 86

Shaun Bradford

Found the following in one of my journal entries from 2015. I wrote that it was a Facebook post I had made in 2008.

“I’m here! God made me the person I am. However, the person I am today will not be the person I am tomorrow. God is so wonderful that He allows us to grow each day. I know that in everyday ahead of me there will be learning experiences and teachable moments. Can’t say it enough, God is awesome!”

That was 17 years ago!

Today, I’m saying the same—I’m here, and God made me the person I am. And I absolutely LOVE who He created.🥰

Thank You, Lord, for loving me. You are an AMAZING God.♥️

Shaun

hope

My Journey With God, No. 83

Shaun Bradford

This morning, I’m so very thankful and grateful I am not in the same space I was six years ago. On April 11, 2019, I reclaimed my life by sharing my fears with the world. Before then, the only ones who knew, and I feel cared, were my two hearts. When I tried to share my fears and concerns with other close family, I was told I was overreacting. That the fear was all in my head. I’ve said this many times before, when I say I’m so grateful to still be here, believe me, I’m grateful to still be here. Y’all, God is so good, merciful, and gracious. Here’s the mental and emotional space I was in six years ago.

April 11, 2019

That day, I stopped living and moving in fear. A little over a month later, my ex finally signed the divorce papers. Although I felt somewhat free, it wasn’t until a week before my 46th birthday, when the judge signed my papers, that I knew I was actually free.

When someone tells you they are afraid, believe them. I don’t care how nice or good you may believe someone to be, believe the person who is afraid. They’re not overreacting. My ex did not want to let me go. We had been separated and going through the divorce process for over four years and he was still texting me saying I would always be his wife (kept the communication open because my son was still a minor). It was a very scary situation to be in. Again, I am so grateful I am still here. I’m so grateful I’ve been able to watch my babies become thriving adults. Y’all, I do not take my life for granted at all.

I’m still here!

Beyond Blessed♥️

Shaun