life

Emotions, Thoughts, Words

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

“Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words.” – Robert Frost

April has been a blur but I couldn’t let it end without paying homage to the rhythmic beauty that is poetry. Check out the Academy of American Poets to learn about the celebration. On this final day of the month, I celebrate with a poem of my own.

My friend

Who told you to shrink?

You diminish your stature

To fit narratives that don’t consider you

You mute your voice

To maintain a facade of peace

You darken your light

To  occupy spaces that don’t welcome you

Who told you to shrink?

Did fear whisper the worst?

Did your past call you unworthy?

Stand.

Speak.

Shine.

Shrink No More.

-LAS

Love Poetry? Need a Gift? Get your copy here.

Resting?

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

“Suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea so that the boat was being swamped by waves but Jesus kept sleeping.”- Matthew 8:24 CSB

I came into this year with a simple prayer:

“Lord, I want to sleep in the boat like Jesus did during the storm. Amen”

Jesus slept, fully aware of everything happening around him. He rested knowing who commanded the boat and the storm.

Rest (verb). To be placed or supported so as to stay in a specified position

How are we resting? The answer begins with knowing and remembering who we are…

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty?   It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.   No one lights a lamp   and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.   In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” -Matthew 5:13-16 CSB

“Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.  That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world  to himself,  not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us. Therefore, we are ambassadors  for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf,  “Be reconciled to God.” -2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭18‬-‭20‬ ‭CSB‬‬

Rest.

Be Salt

Be Light.

A Minister of Reconciliation.

An Ambassador for Christ.

The world needs us in position.

This Joy

/ LaShona Sellers / 4 Comments

🎶This joy I have…the world didn’t give it and the world can’t take it way…🎶

This joy is not contingent on ideal circumstances or life without trial. This joy is rooted in a heart surrendered and trusting the God who sees, knows and loves me. I’m not taking for granted His daily mercies, second chances and plentiful patience (because Lord knows, sometimes I’m a little slow on the uptake).

Today I’m welcoming my 48th year with gratitude and anticipation. And thank you, friends and readers, for continuing this journey with me.

Got Hope?

/ LaShona Sellers / Leave a comment

🎶”…A thrill of hope, The weary world rejoices…”🎶

There’s a lot of talk about hope this season as we reflect on the year and holidays past; counting  blessings, lamenting losses and anticipating  better for the future. We have hopes, great and small, from the unspoken flickers of our heart to the health & wholeness of our families and communities. Yet hope can be a precarious thing when deferred or unfulfilled. So how do we hold onto the thrill of hope? All of our hopes, every single one, must be anchored to the hope of the world, Jesus Christ. He was born, died and rose again to give us a living hope.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.  Because of his great mercy  he has given us new birth  into a living hope  through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead ” -1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3‬ ‭CSB‬‬

In this truth we can be confident of His love and His plans for us.

“For I know the plans I have for you” —this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” -Jeremiah 29:11 CSB

“This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” – Romans 5:5 CSB

🎶”My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

On Christ the solid rock I stand

All other ground is sinking sand

All other ground is sinking sand”🎶

May the hope of Christ be yours this season and beyond ! Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays & Happy New Year!

A Drift

/ LaShona Sellers / 2 Comments

Existing on fumes of glory past

Serving but not seeing Him

An exercise of habit, not of the heart

The power of the Word

Alive and transforming

Traded for substitutes and distractions

Coasting on memories of what He’s done

Unable to grasp what He’s doing

No denouncement of faith

No blatant disobedience 

Just a drift

Subtle and subconscious 

Far from His peaceful shore

Burned out. Discouraged. Disillusioned. Drifting.

God loves you. He’s calling you. Come back. Draw near. Surrender it all to Him. 

“…I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know Christ’s love that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.”

‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭19‬ ‭CSB‬‬

The Release

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

Last summer I released my first book Barnabas Blessings. It was a major accomplishment and still feels a bit surreal.

This summer I’m working on another major release…my first born into adulthood. There are documents and releases to sign declaring his new legal status. There are checklists and deadlines preparing to send him off to college. There’s the shift of authority as he asserts his independence.

There are other releases too. There’s the pruning necessary to remain, fruitful and connected to the Vine (John 15:5). There’s the shedding of weights that bound and distract (Hebrews 12:1). There are trust falls into the arms of Jesus instead of my limited understanding (Proverbs 3:5).

This is a season of joy and the bittersweet, fear and courage, hope and tinges of regret, answered prayers and not yets, hard questions and some hard answers. This season testifies to the power of Christ at work to sustain, transform and renew.

I’m reminded that a hand and heart open to release are also open to receive. As I release, I’m receiving the blessings of a present Father who proves Himself faithful over and over again.

What are you releasing and receiving today?

“I am convinced and confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will [continue to] perfect and complete it until the day of Christ Jesus [the time of His return].” – Philippians 1:6 AMP

Messy Blessings

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

Order & organization, methods & plans…this is what usually makes me tick. But on this faith journey I’m constantly reminded of and blown away by the “messy” blessings. The blessings found in the unorganized and the unplanned. The blessings I might have missed because a person, place or situation didn’t render on my “perfection” meter. The “perfect” and the imperfect…God works in it all. Don’t miss Him.

What’s Your Name?

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

My name is LaShona with a “La” for melody, a capital “S”, and a long “o” . But I’ve been called LaShonda, Shalonda, Shalona and (a favorite) Lasagna.

Like a mispronounced name, sometimes we are labeled as something or someone we are not. Those labels can be hurtful, demoralizing and relegate us to boxes that can’t possibly contain all of who we are.

That label? That’s not your name. It’s not who you are. Just because it’s what you’ve been called doesn’t mean you have to answer.

“But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine!”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43‬:‭1‬ ‭AMP‬‬

What If

/ LaShona Sellers / 1 Comment

Ready, set and we’re off! The holiday season is in full swing. Expressions of gratitude, tidings of comfort & joy and shopping deals abound. But for some of us there is only stress and trepidation. The goodness and beauty of the season are eclipsed by neverending to-do lists and unrealistic expectations.

So what if we changed our perspective? Minimized perfection and magnified grace. What if we decided to simply opt out? Opt out of traditions and expectations that weigh us with dread and mask us with insincerity. What if we dared to do something different? Let our “yes” be genuine and purposeful. Let our “no” be firm and free of guilt. What if in the midst of it all we took time to just be…Grateful.

Endless Thanks

Unable to contain in just one day,

A lifetime of profession.

A daily exercise of appreciation,

For this life uniquely my own,

For the glorious triumphs,

For the disheartening defeats,

For the gift of grace,

For mercies renewed,

For everyday blessings,

For the difficult journeys,

For the smallest joys,

For the sting of self-reflection,

For the hope in growth,

For love unfettered and unconditional,

For the joy of family,

For the solace of friends.

Thanks to a God so Magnificent, so Wonderful, and so Good.

Humbled by His presence and in awe of His care. -LAS

“Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness. Let the whole world know what he has done. Sing to him; yes, sing his praises. Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.”

Psalms 105:1-2