Closer than it seems

Dear Wonderful Future Husband,

Oh goodness...where to begin? I cant wait to meet you! I have been praying for you since I was 4 years old when I got my first Ken doll to go with my Barbie. They were so happy together in their little plastic house with a convertible pink car and painted smiles, and I couldn't wait to have that too (except with real smiles and a real house)(Yes, the pink car could stay). I continue to pray for you every day and I know God is preparing your heart for me and my heart for you with every passing hour. I have thought, during this crazy life of mine, that I found "the one"...thankfully God's plan is MUCH better than my plan! haha ;) You are out there somewhere...I just haven't found you yet.

I often find myself day dreaming about the life we are going to have one day together. The house we will paint, the laundry we will do, the dinners we will accidentally burn because we got into an epic game of Uno in the living room, the big dog that will inevitably ruin our romantic "one on one" time, the deep discussions we will have about God and how His grace amazes us more and more everyday, the way we will pray together, the awesome kids we will raise together, and the silly inside jokes we will have about each other. Whoops...there I go daydreaming again. Being patient is hard work, ya know. Especially when all of my friends are getting engaged and married and I am still waiting...patiently...and staying faithful to the Lord because I KNOW He was still working on me to be the perfect wife for you. BTW, I make killer chicken and dumplings. If that doesn't seal the envelope, i don't know what will!

Thankfully, God is continually blessing me with STRONG Christian friends to occupy my time. I know the Lord is using them to help mold me and shape me to be more like Christ and the Proverbs 31 woman that I continually strive to be. I hope God is using you in a mighty way to shine your light for His glory always! That is, after all, what our relationship will be constantly centered around. I pray that God holds onto your heart and that you NEVER settle and ALWAYS look to your glorious Father for direction in life. He will point you to me sooner or later :) Stay strong! See you soon <3

Love:

Shannon Leigh Harris 

Breaking Free

For the first time in my life, I can feel the Lord. Not just in a gentle breeze, but in a thundering force that is shaking me up through and through. What a mighty God we serve! 2010 was a year that the Lord was testing my faith...and by golly he sent some trials my way. More than I felt like I could handle. And then all of the sudden, after everything I had ever known was stripped away, I could clearly see the Lords plan for my life. CLEARLY!

"So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing it! Trust you lives to the one who created you, for he will never fail you" - 1 Peter 4:13

He will never fail me. He will never fail you. He will never fail his children as long as our faith is concentrated and our hearts are trusting in our Father. Faith and trust is all I had to cling to. I was freed from the troubles of the world and the problems of life because I knew I had to escape and seek the Lord and cling to His love for me. I had to do things that I was not comfortable with, confident in, or clear about because I felt the Lord calling me there. And he is blessing my socks off!

 I just started reading a super awesome book by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free: Discover the victory of total surrender" and I am being practically blown away with how this book is EXACTLY what the Lord is teaching me right now...and I am only on the first chapter! God is getting me ready for something big. Really big. I can feel it more than I have ever felt it before. I am ecstatic and nervous beyond belief to see what He is cooking up and what he has in store. I am so blessed!

"Let us not grow weary in doing good, for at a proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!" - Galatians 6:9

Harvest season, here we go!