{College | Tidbits & Life Lessons}

I begin every blog post with this thought in mind, "Shannon, don't make it long. Short and sweet sister, short and sweet." And, every time I am successful in doing the opposite of what I set out to do (at least I'm consistent). Anyways, I just graduated from James Madison University 2 weeks ago and turned 22 years old today. Here is a list of tidbits I have learned over the past 4 years....

It takes awkward to get to normal. It's crazy to think I came to JMU a bubbly Michigan girl who said "pop" instead of "soda," I also didn't know a single person. Then, 4 years later I left with an amazing group of friends, and I even have converted to using the word "soda" (sorry, Michigan friends). Sometimes I feel like "freshman Shannon" was so much braver than "post-grad Shannon." I need constant reminding that forming new relationships between humans will almost always have some degree of awkward. All we can do to overcome is to embrace. Embrace the awkward-it usually makes for a funny story later on, and everyone loves a great story.   

First day of school as a JMU Duke! 

Listen to understand. My natural inclination is to listen with the intent to respond instead of to understand. When we listen to understand, we begin to actually listen opposed to just thinking about what our next statement will be. Try it, I can guarantee you will notice a difference in the way you process during your conversations.

Play. Get goofy. Build a fort in your living room, make pancakes, although don't just make pancakes-dye them a different color and eat them at some odd hour of the day (West View tradition). Find the people who accept you for your quirks and let yourself laugh. laugh a lot. 

Piling way too many girls on a sled is also another great way to play. 

Gratitude. A thankful heart is a content heart. Developing a pattern of thinking that revolves around gratitude is a discipline and often a fight. I easily get blinded by my unmet desires or by all of the things in my life that are not going the way I want them to. Focusing on the negative squelches my thankfulness and I end up missing out on all of the good going on around me. (If you're looking for a good read on the topic, pick up 1000 Gifts by Ann Voskamp).  

Intentional questions & the art of conversation. I learned how to have a conversation that goes below the surface. The quality of your questions will always reflect the kind of answers you receive. Generating a quality conversation, that goes beyond the weather, is an art and a skill to be mastered only through practice. 

Many a great conversation with sweet Blair :]

Hope. Metaphorically speaking, doors were constantly opening and closing in college. Opportunities would present themselves and sometimes they would be long term, and other times they would come quick and leave even quicker. Elisabeth Elliot says, "God's no's are always full of mercy." A closed door is always for our benefit-even when it doesn't seem like it. It isn't in God's character to withhold good from His kiddos. We can "still dare to hope" (Lamentations 3: 20-25) even when we face discouragement and a lack of understanding regarding our life circumstances. 

Lifelong learner. Graduation isn't the end of learning, it is only just the beginning! Invest time in learning about topics that interest you. Yes-just for fun! Foster curiosity and take time to wonder.

Graduation Day---let the learning continue! (p.s. My robe gives me a tail)

Commonalities with everyone. It's possible to find a common thread with any and every individual. Relationships are formed when people realize that they aren't so different after all. Start friendships with people-classmates, coworkers, professors etc. by finding similarities.  

Fail forward. See mistakes as opportunities for improvement. You're never going to be perfect, so use your shortcomings to move you forward instead of backward.  

Everyone has a back story & no one has it all together. Every individual has a past that helps to explain why they are the way they are. Everyone has a collection of life experiences that make up their past. Take time to discover a person's past, and don't be afraid to explore your own. Nobody's perfect either-even the most confident individual has insecurities. You're believing a lie if you think someone has it all together. We all have our flaws and that's why there is grace.

I loved getting to know these women's back stories and their inner goofball-ness!

People matter-even the "small" ones. Get to know the characters in your life story. Everyone you meet has the opportunity to teach you something you never knew before. Everyone from your barista, to your mailman, to your neighbors and your housemates. These are the people who make your life what it is, and they matter, so get to know them. I loved knowing our mailman on West View St., our neighbors John & Eloise, and Jeremiah the man from Alaska who owns Court Square Coffee-I'll never forget his friendly smile and wave every time I passed his shop on Main St. 

Court Square Coffee. 

Be reflective. Value self reflection and introspection. Take time to be quiet, or reflect by having a deep talk with a close friend. It is easy to just let life pass you by without really thinking about it or verbalizing it.  

Life is not an emergency. Slow down and relax. Find humor in the little things and don't take yourself too seriously. 

Inspiration. Figure out what brings you life. Areas of inspiration for me include music, art, people who have overcome impossible odds, cities, and writing that really makes me think. Find out what in life intrigues you-there is too much awesomeness in this life for boredom to take hold. Allow yourself to be easily amused & excitable, life is just more fun that way. 

Inspire me Richmond! 

Jesus. In college I moved from thinking Christianity was just a set of ideas among many other theories and I began to "own" my faith-I really put my name to it. Meeting Jesus in a real way, beginning an actual relationship with Him, allowed me to see myself and the world around me in a totally different light. My relationship with God is the most important thing about me. I am thankful to know that even though I am broken in many different ways, God is putting the pieces back together through a beautiful process. 

I'll be taking my own advice as I continue to learn these lessons (over and over again) as I venture into this new chapter of life!

{Lennon & Maisy | Ho Hey}

A delightful tune for your Tuesday. 

{Falling Plates}

A short film about life, death and love of a savior. 

#FallingPlates 

{Good News from Page CXVI & Josh Garrels}

Page CXVI and Josh Garrels must be drinking the same water, and there must be something in the water because they have both decided to give away tons of free music for the month of March. You can click here for Page CXVI, and here for Josh to experience their musical magic. 

{Follow the Sun}

Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd gives me the urge to frolic and dance leaving all of my cares behind on a sandy beach. Complete with bird chirps, a harmonica, and soul searching lyrics, this tune sounds like a sunny day. The music video was filmed in Queensland, Australia. 

{The Christmas Scale}

Remembering the best news in the world today. 

Merry Christmas! 

Love, 

Shannon 

{Jesus: Our Reality}

"Change is your friend that draws you closer to Jesus." This was the banner that hung in the training room at the briefing weekend that I went to before heading to Australia. When I first saw it I laughed and I can remember making little jokes about it with my teammates. But what I didn't realize is that this small sentence, containing nine words, couldn't be anymore true.

This semester has been all about preparing for a change. On May 4th I will be graduating from JMU. Over the past three years I have seemed to have forgotten that college has an end. There will be a day very soon where I won't be a "student." JMU, Harrison Hall, the Quad, West View St., and the Blue Ridge Mountains have been my reality for almost four years now.

Change is such a challenge for human beings, especially this one typing on the keyboard, because it means we experience a shift in our reality. Our routines change and our social sphere is altered. We are indeed creatures of habit, and when our habits change it breeds worry, anxiety, and doubt. I have been wrestling with all three of those feelings over the past few months. I have been frustrated with anticipation, and it has been driving me crazy, but also driving me closer to the One who is writing my story, and the One who is aware of the wrestling match taking place in my heart.

So what is the root of worry, anxiety, and doubt? I have been learning that the root is always the same. Satan always feeds the same lie, it's been his campaign through the ages. I love the way author Ann Voskamp puts the Serpent's lie, he hisses into our ears, "God isn't good. It's the cornerstone of his movement. That God withholds good from His children, that God does not genuinely, fully, love us." I have been visited by this lie many times this semester, sometimes it seems easy to believe because life gets hard and emotions fill me with discontentment.

But, more important than the lie, is the truth. The truth that I am asking God to root deep inside of my heart, the truth that sets me free from all uncertainty. The truth that removes the chains that Satan finds pleasure in draping all over us. The truth that washes us clean from all of the dirt that stains us as we walk down the road of life.

The truth that overcomes all the enemy's lies is that even when our realities seems to change, Jesus is the reality that will never change. He is our reality, and no matter how many times Satan tries to distract us by telling us that the gospel is unrealistic, the gospel will always stand-it never loses its "realness". Our choice is whether to believe the gospel as it applies to every aspect of our lives. Sometimes I am better at making this choice than others. But, the freedom & peace from anxiety, doubt, perfection, and everything else that we face on this earth is already there, we must humbly kneel down to receive it.

Jesus is our reality in the face of tragedy. 

Jesus is our reality in our heart break and sadness. 

Jesus is our reality in our frustrations at school and at work. 

Jesus is our reality when we are too hard on ourselves, trying to earn our salvation (which is impossible).

Jesus is our reality when it is hard to enjoy grace & we find ourselves fighting for our joy. 

Jesus is our reality when the enemy tells us God isn't good. 

Jesus is our reality in our family troubles. 

Jesus is our reality in the face of health issues. 

Farther along the way we will see the good fruit of our hard seasons, for they are not pointless (although the enemy would like to tell us they are). For God is always doing a good work in us.

I am holding on so tightly to the truth, because Jesus is my reality. He really walked on this earth, He really walked on water, His words really do bring freedom, He is real, He is our remedy, and He is worthy of my faith and your faith. His promises are true and they pull us through the darkness. When we embrace Him as reality, we are capable of anything.

Keep fighting the good fight friend, you are braver than you think.