A Broken Record

There are some lessons in life that seem to keep repeating, at least for me anyway. Over and over again, God reminds me not to forget what He's done...and yet live in the present. Forget what is behind, the past failures and mistakes - He's forgotten and forgiven, and so must I.

"See the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you."
Isaiah 42:9

There are so many former things in my life, and probably in yours, that threaten to weigh us down:

- betrayal

- addiction

- lies

- insecurities

- failures

- broken promises

But, God reminds me, He reminds YOU, again and again that those things are over, and new things are coming. Even before they happen we can have HOPE because we have been promised that they will take place. There is good to come, and we know the end of the story. Maybe not this present story, but the big one, the one that matters.

I know that God wins, that good will overcome. It gives me peace when I think about raising this baby girl, Sarah Lynn Mercy. That even though she will experience pain in life, I can speak this truth into her life...God wins, love does overcome and we will have rest.

I pray you receive God's peace, and His promise that new things are coming, even before they "spring into being" God has already announced them!

~ Shelby

Sarah Lynn Mercy

What's in a name?

"Shelby" for example means "A place of shelter where the willows grow"

Photo Credit here

I've always wanted to be a place of shelter for people - to live up to the name given me. And while that's not why my parents gave me that name, I believe in the power of a name. We claim names in life all the time...

~ Perfectionist

~ Nurse

~ Boss
~ People-pleaser

~ Teacher
~ mom

We define and name ourselves based upon what we do, and rarely because of who we are. God has to remind me daily of the names He's given me...

~ Daughter

~ Chosen One

~ Forgiven

~ Loved

I like those names, they're names to live up to. And so, with baby girl on the way, Silas and I wanted to give her a name full of meaning and truth.

Sarah - named after her Aunt Sarah who passed away when she was only 15. Silas held his sister in such high esteem. I can see it in his eyes when he talks about her. The way she loved him, the way she showed Jesus to him and to others. I am honored that we can name our baby girl after a young woman who impacted this baby girl's daddy in such a big and wonderful way. 

Lynn - her momma's middle name, and her Grandma Tharp's middle name. It's special to pass on a legacy of a woman that I so respect - my mom. I pray this young lady has my mom's strength, sense of right, and conviction of heart.

Mercy - I wanted to give her a new name, one that would be her own. Honestly, I believe God gave her this name. Immediately after finding out we were pregnant, I was overcome with this word. I heard it in my head over and over again - Mercy, mercy, merciful mercy. God blessed Silas and I with this gift of a child out of His great Mercy. I had cried and begged and prayed for a child and here she was, just given to me. We had tried on our own, and it doesn't just happen when you want it to. God, in His timing, gave her to us. And, after everything that I put this body through - my own mistakes that could have prevented a child, to health concerns that said I might not ever carry a baby, to other past mistakes that could have robbed us of this gift. God's mercy looked at us and said yes, YES, I will bless you with this gift of LIFE!

I hope someday she'll understand fully what that means, and that with God's help she will grow into all that's in her name.

Because beyond the stories and the namesakes, Sarah Lynn Mercy means "Princess of Mercy".

Gaining Weight

Fear.
Shame.
Gaining Weight.

Here I am, five months pregnant and excited, ready to put on those pounds for the life that kicks and flips inside of me. But, as much as I hate to admit this, it wasn't easy at first.

I told myself I would not be one of those women who hated her pregnant body. In fact, I've always thought pregnant women are the most beautiful form of a woman. Life growing inside, what could be better?

But then, I started to gain weight, and what's worse I felt nauseous at every turn. So instead of the blissful glow everyone talks about, I felt sick. I didn't want food, and that terrified me. It reminded me too much of the time I had spent starving myself.  And the fear, that nagging fear of being fat, ugly or unwanted pestered me. I lost four pounds in the first trimester. While often normal, it scared me considering my past.

Truth: Your body, your baby needs nourishment.
Truth: It's ok to eat when you're hungry, especially now. Listen to your body and respond with healthy choices.
Lie: You'll never be desirable again.
Lie: You don't really need to eat more, you can just stay the same weight throughout this pregnancy.

Ha, those lies are ridiculous. I can see how the enemy and this world are working to destroy my precious little girl before she is even born. And the nerve, he's using the old lies in MY PAST to accomplish our dual destruction.

But I write this today as a reminder and as a declaration of victory. Enough of that! Bring on the food! I love this new little life, and whatever I need to gain, however that may impact my body, it is all worth it.

For this child, and for me. Life is still worth fighting for, especially now.
~Shelby

Baby girl at 20 weeks, and yes sucking her thumb!
Truth: I have loved you with an everlasting love...I will build you up again. ~Jeremiah 31:3 & 4

Sharing your Story

There's nothing better than a good story. I love reading, watching, or telling one, but being a part of one can be hard. Every good story includes tragedy or heartbreak, it what makes the ultimate victory so wonderful. While I love seeing a powerful story unfold, when I'm in the middle of the heartbreak, my story doesn't feel so wonderful.

Recently, Grace College, where I went to school for two years, told my story. I can read it now and think, "Wow, that is beautiful". The way God healed me, saved me and showed me His grace. But, it didn't feel beautiful at the time.

So, if you're in the middle of your story and things are a little rough, I pray this gives you hope.

Open publication - Free publishing - More 289

If graphic does not work, you can click here to read the article.
~ Shelby

I've Got This

On my first trip to Russia, one of the young ladies told me she didn't understand this one thing about Americans. Why does everyone grow up and move away, from their friends, family and everything they know? She was an adult woman at the time, but still lived with her parents, and didn't have any imminent plans to move out. If fact, for Russians, they often live several generations to a home. And by home, I mean less than a 900 square foot apartment. Grandparents, parents and newlyweds all crammed into three rooms. Partly because of economy, and mostly because of culture. Families stay together, they rely on each other and support one another.

Not here. Graduate...go away to college. Get a job...move out. Get married...move away. I did all three of those, and yet I know now that I am far from "self-sufficient." There are times when I have looked at my husband and said "You have to be strong for me, I can't carry this burden." Or jumped in my car and rushed to my mom's in tears as she wrapped her arms around me and held me like the little girl I used to be.

I need the support of others. But, like an empty boot without someone to wear it, I am completely useless apart from Jesus. There are times when life gets so dark, the world crashes in and breathing becomes difficult. When we can barely open our eyes to greet the day. I have to know, believe and trust that there is a Spirit stronger than our failures and pains. 

We need to be reminded of this truth often. It takes the pressure off to perform and pretend. We can trust the One that was there all along, waiting to breath life into our dead bones and remind us we're not alone.

~ Shelby

Who You Are

There's a lot of talk about "finding yourself". Figuring out "who you are". I'm not sure I believe in that. I think it's more about realizing the truth that was there all along. And to believe it. To know the person you were always created to be, can be hard, even when it's staring you in the face. When faced with the lie that I am not enough, I'm a failure or am worthless, these beautiful truths give me strength...


But you are God's chosen and special people...God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9


Now you have been set free from sin, and you are God's slaves. This will make you holy and will lead you to eternal life. Romans 6:22

For the LORD your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs. Zephaniah 3:17


...only God's Spirit can change you into a child of God. John 3:6


...you are God's temple and his Spirit lives in you. 1 Corinthians 3:16


My personal favorite, a truth I need: You surely know that your body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The Spirit is in you and is a gift from God. You are no longer your own. God paid a great price for you. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20


Truly, I would not be alive today if God had not opened my eyes to these truths, and had I not believed them I fear I'd still be stuck with an eating disorder, or worse. These are so much more than Bible verses, they are life!
~Shelby

The Story

In a nutshell, this video introduces you to me. It's not all about what went wrong, but what God did out of the darkness.

Episode 84: Recovered with Shelby Lynn from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.