Shannon's story
I am standing before you all today because of Facebook. Because Pastor Jenny follows me on Facebook and I announced a few weeks ago that 2016 will be bringing lots of changes in my life.
But really, I stand before you today because of God. This is something I believe from the depth of my soul. There is no part of my life that does not come from Him, both the highs and lows.
My first thought when Pastor Jenny asked me to talk about how God is changing me and working in my life, my first thought was, “How is God NOT changing me? Not working in my life? Not helping me grow?
My second thought was, “How am I going to keep myself to 3 minutes??”
Some of you know that I have been writing online and I sharing my hiking experiences for several years and now I have begun to write on a new blog about my life’s evolution from long time single parent to now empty nester and soon to be unemployed social worker.
My position at the low income preschool program Head Start is going to be eliminated this year due to a change in our grant. I have been with this agency 16 years. I have been working with children and their families for 23 years. It has so many things about it that make it attractive: the hours, the benefits, the work itself, and the consistency. The love. Every work day I get to be God’s hands as I support parents in raising their children to the best of their abilities, most of whom have English as their second language.
I have known for a few years that my position would most likely be cut but I was never worried. I told myself I could always just go back to teaching in the classroom. But the truth is, what I do now doesn't fit like it used to. I have changed. My goals have changed. I have added new passions over these 23 years that continue to call me to do and be something different.
The women’s retreats and Christian Faith Adventures here with my fellow sisters in Christ have given me the ability to recognize my gifts and thus their value to others. I write. I cook. I hike. A lot. I have been sharing my experiences online for three years now and I have been able to encourage many others to follow their own passions. With this job loss, I am being given an opportunity to really assess who I am and where I am headed and who I would like to become. Am I being who He called me to be? What do I want to take with me into the future versus what would be better left behind?
A few years ago, due to changes here at MUMC, I went in search of spending more time in God’s word and longing for more meaning on Sunday mornings. I began listening to the sermons from Bothell United Methodist church, who posts theirs on You Tube. I found exactly what I was looking for and they have helped me to continue to grow in my faith. I felt like I was a part of that church without stepping a foot there. I probably would have started attending there but my son was adamant about continuing with the youth group here so I simply remained an online stalker. Up until last year, I had been cooking for the teen shelter Cocoon House for 9 years with a group from this church but that unfortunately had to end and that was really hard to give up. But the changes here led me to a connection there that has led me to begin volunteering and cooking with their community kitchen. From the first time I walked into their kitchen, I knew I had found a home for my passion for cooking and helping those in need. Trika, one of the lead cooks has already got me set up to be lead cook myself. Through a change I wasn’t originally happy with, I am now somewhere even bigger and better, doing even more in His name.
Change is hard. Change can break your heart. Change can test your faith. But comfort and the status quo are not always a good thing when we miss out on the opportunity to truly see the world around us and our place in it. Change helps us assess both the change and ourselves. Who are we? Where are we going? What truly brings us joy?
There is a walk I do from work on breaks and have been doing for years now to a local wooded park. There are various trails and I can pretend I am actually out hiking in the wilderness. This last week, as I walked past a section I have passed a million times, I decided to take a path I had not taken before. I probably had not taken this particular path because I knew it was short and just came out to creek that I could already see from a better advantage point. It didn’t really go anywhere. The sun was shining, I had Third Day’s latest album playing in my ear and I was feeling that all was right with the world.
About 30 feet in, I came to a clearing and suddenly stopped. Hidden from the main road by shrubs was a camp that someone had set up, complete with cardboard box and campfire. Someone lived here. All this time I had passed by and NO idea this was here. The cardboard box was covered in plastic and someone had written on it “No Trustpass, pleas,” and “Homeles, pleas respect my home!” My heart broke. I stood there for some time, wondering if someone was in the box and what would happen if I knocked. I didn’t want to leave but wasn’t sure what to do in that moment. I cried walking back to work, wondering what it was the God meant for me to see by taking a different route that day. How am I supposed to walk by that same spot every day and not do something?
I actually had a prethought when Pastor Jenny asked me to talk to you today. It was, “Aggh! Do I really want to do that?!” But as I am getting better at doing, I heard God whispering too, saying, “It’s all part of the plan.”
I feel God has continued to send me the same message over the years. He doesn’t intend for me to be comfortable. I can’t long to be His hands in the world and yet stay in the same comfortable place. He uses those uncomfortable moments in our lives to help us grow.
God is not done with me yet. I still have more to learn. More to grow. I just need to keep my heart open and eyes forward to where He is taking me.
It's time take a different path, time to step out of that comfort zone.
But really, I stand before you today because of God. This is something I believe from the depth of my soul. There is no part of my life that does not come from Him, both the highs and lows.
My first thought when Pastor Jenny asked me to talk about how God is changing me and working in my life, my first thought was, “How is God NOT changing me? Not working in my life? Not helping me grow?
My second thought was, “How am I going to keep myself to 3 minutes??”
Some of you know that I have been writing online and I sharing my hiking experiences for several years and now I have begun to write on a new blog about my life’s evolution from long time single parent to now empty nester and soon to be unemployed social worker.
My position at the low income preschool program Head Start is going to be eliminated this year due to a change in our grant. I have been with this agency 16 years. I have been working with children and their families for 23 years. It has so many things about it that make it attractive: the hours, the benefits, the work itself, and the consistency. The love. Every work day I get to be God’s hands as I support parents in raising their children to the best of their abilities, most of whom have English as their second language.
I have known for a few years that my position would most likely be cut but I was never worried. I told myself I could always just go back to teaching in the classroom. But the truth is, what I do now doesn't fit like it used to. I have changed. My goals have changed. I have added new passions over these 23 years that continue to call me to do and be something different.
The women’s retreats and Christian Faith Adventures here with my fellow sisters in Christ have given me the ability to recognize my gifts and thus their value to others. I write. I cook. I hike. A lot. I have been sharing my experiences online for three years now and I have been able to encourage many others to follow their own passions. With this job loss, I am being given an opportunity to really assess who I am and where I am headed and who I would like to become. Am I being who He called me to be? What do I want to take with me into the future versus what would be better left behind?
A few years ago, due to changes here at MUMC, I went in search of spending more time in God’s word and longing for more meaning on Sunday mornings. I began listening to the sermons from Bothell United Methodist church, who posts theirs on You Tube. I found exactly what I was looking for and they have helped me to continue to grow in my faith. I felt like I was a part of that church without stepping a foot there. I probably would have started attending there but my son was adamant about continuing with the youth group here so I simply remained an online stalker. Up until last year, I had been cooking for the teen shelter Cocoon House for 9 years with a group from this church but that unfortunately had to end and that was really hard to give up. But the changes here led me to a connection there that has led me to begin volunteering and cooking with their community kitchen. From the first time I walked into their kitchen, I knew I had found a home for my passion for cooking and helping those in need. Trika, one of the lead cooks has already got me set up to be lead cook myself. Through a change I wasn’t originally happy with, I am now somewhere even bigger and better, doing even more in His name.
Change is hard. Change can break your heart. Change can test your faith. But comfort and the status quo are not always a good thing when we miss out on the opportunity to truly see the world around us and our place in it. Change helps us assess both the change and ourselves. Who are we? Where are we going? What truly brings us joy?
There is a walk I do from work on breaks and have been doing for years now to a local wooded park. There are various trails and I can pretend I am actually out hiking in the wilderness. This last week, as I walked past a section I have passed a million times, I decided to take a path I had not taken before. I probably had not taken this particular path because I knew it was short and just came out to creek that I could already see from a better advantage point. It didn’t really go anywhere. The sun was shining, I had Third Day’s latest album playing in my ear and I was feeling that all was right with the world.
About 30 feet in, I came to a clearing and suddenly stopped. Hidden from the main road by shrubs was a camp that someone had set up, complete with cardboard box and campfire. Someone lived here. All this time I had passed by and NO idea this was here. The cardboard box was covered in plastic and someone had written on it “No Trustpass, pleas,” and “Homeles, pleas respect my home!” My heart broke. I stood there for some time, wondering if someone was in the box and what would happen if I knocked. I didn’t want to leave but wasn’t sure what to do in that moment. I cried walking back to work, wondering what it was the God meant for me to see by taking a different route that day. How am I supposed to walk by that same spot every day and not do something?
I actually had a prethought when Pastor Jenny asked me to talk to you today. It was, “Aggh! Do I really want to do that?!” But as I am getting better at doing, I heard God whispering too, saying, “It’s all part of the plan.”
I feel God has continued to send me the same message over the years. He doesn’t intend for me to be comfortable. I can’t long to be His hands in the world and yet stay in the same comfortable place. He uses those uncomfortable moments in our lives to help us grow.
God is not done with me yet. I still have more to learn. More to grow. I just need to keep my heart open and eyes forward to where He is taking me.
It's time take a different path, time to step out of that comfort zone.