Shoulder2Shoulder

01/03/2025

You're invited to my party! Come one, come all! You don't have to get dressed up, I'll be in my jammies. Don't bother wearing makeup, we'll just cry it off. I'll be serving comfort foods like ice cream, candy, potato chips, cookies, cake, and, of course, what party would be complete without chocolate? I'll be the DJ and I'll play all the hits including "One is the Loneliest Number," "All by Myself" and "It's My Party, I'll Cry if I Want To." There will be plenty of tissue for crying in our beer.

I could have sent this invitation many times over the years as I threw countless pity parties for myself! A handful of caring friends would come to these parties and sympathetically listen as I whined and cried about how horrible my life was. Or sometimes it was just me, myself and I. Bitter, party of one!

The one person I DIDN'T invite to the party was the Lord. Had I invited Him, it wouldn't have been a pity party! I'd have realized that I wasn't alone, that no matter what the circumstances were, He has never left me, never failed me! I am blessed beyond measure! I wouldn't have been stuck in my depression but would have had hope... hope for the future, hope that things would turn around in my favor, hope that tomorrow would be a better day!

I'm happy to report the Pity Party has been canceled!!! Instead, I will rejoice in the Lord and His marvelous works! Instead, I will thank Him for all He's done for me and how He brought me through! Because He lives, I can face tomorrow! Because He lives, all fear is gone!

"For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome."
Jer. 29:11 Amplified

Lord, thank You for not giving up on me when I'd given up on myself. Help me to keep my eyes on You and not my situation. Let my actions AND my words glorify You today, Lord. Amen.

12/09/2024

Good morning my friends! Let God use you to comfort someone grieving the loss of a loved one or who is alone this Christmas season. God bless your day!

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Cor. 1:3-5 NIV

12/04/2024

I love this snow angel! It reminds me of this story...

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Luke 1:26-31

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means “God with us).
Matt. 1:18-23

Immanuel... God with us. He is with us, friends. Knocking on the door of our hearts. Will you let Him in?

God bless your day my friends! Please feel free to share.

12/02/2024

Me: Hello God.
God: Hello...
Me: I’m falling apart. Can you put me back together?
God: I'd rather not.
Me: Why?
God: Because you're not a puzzle.
Me: What about all the pieces of my life that fall to the ground?
God: Leave them there for a while. They fell for a reason. Let them be there for a while and then ask me if you need to take any of those pieces back.
Me: You don't understand! I'm breaking!
God: No, you don't understand. You're growing. What you feel are growing pains. You're getting rid of the things and people in your life that are holding you back. The pieces are not falling down. The pieces are being put in their place. Relax. Take a deep breath and let those things you no longer need fall down. Stop clinging to pieces that are no longer for you. Let them fall. Let them go. Trust Me.
Me: Once I start doing that, what will I have left?
God: You will have me. I am always with you. I will never leave you or forsake you.
Me: I'm afraid to change.
God: I keep telling you: YOU'RE NOT CHANGING! YOU'RE BECOMING!
Me: Becoming who?
God: Becoming who I created you to be! A person of love, charity, hope, courage, joy, mercy, grace and compassion. I made you for so much more than those shallow pieces you decided to adorn yourself with and that you cling to with so much fear. Let those things fall off you. I love you! Don't change! Become! Don't change! Become! Become who I want you to be, who I created you to be. I'm going to keep telling you this over and over until you remember.
Me: There goes another piece.
God: Yes. Let it go.
Me: So... I'm not broken?
God: No, but you're breaking the darkness, like the dawn. It's a new day. Become!! Become who you really are!!" Become who I created you to be!!!

Thank You for hearing my cry, Lord. Amen.

*Please feel free to share.

05/21/2024

05/10/2024

Good morning loved ones... Happy Friday!

This illustration says so much to me... If I didn't know the Lord, it would be terrifying but because I know Him, it gives me peace! Here's why:

John 10:11-16
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

God bless your day friends! 🙏

03/27/2024

Good morning friends! Hope you're having a blessed and wonderful day! I was thinking about the sacrifice that was made for you and me over 2000 years ago and would like to share this:

The prophet Isaiah made this prediction about the Messiah:
He was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. (Is. 53:5)

Scars mark the wounds that were inflicted on Jesus. On His hands. On His feet. On His side. On His head.
If you’ve read the story of the crucifixion, you know that the risen Jesus is probably covered from head to toe with scars from the beatings and the piercings He endured. The obvious scars were on His hands and His feet. But He had heart wounds too. His friends betrayed Him. They abandoned Him. Religious leaders despised and rejected Him. He was forgotten. Forsaken. Falsely accused. Beaten. Crucified.

Yet when Jesus appeared to His followers after dying on the cross and rising from the dead, one of the first things He did, according to several gospel accounts, was to show them His scars. Isn’t that interesting? He didn’t try to hide them. In fact, it’s as if Jesus was announcing, “You know it’s Me because of these scars!” when He said, “Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself !” (Luke 24:39).

Because I’m a woman with scars, I’m compelled to ask, Why does Jesus, the Son of God, still have scars? He is God Almighty in a resurrected, glorified body! I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping to get rid of all of these scars when I get my new body in heaven. Though I don’t know exactly what glorified bodies will look like, I do know that Jesus has “all authority in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18), and I don’t think He had to keep His scars. I think He chose to. His scars are evidence that He was wounded for us. His wounds heal our wounds. His scars are proof that we can be healed!

I think Jesus kept those scars to remind us that He loves us, that we are not alone, that we were worth all the pain and piercing. Every time we doubt, every time we have fears, every time we feel troubled or unworthy, we can look at the body of Jesus. Look at His hands! Look at His feet! Consider that these aren’t merely scars. They are shouts of victory! Symbols of triumph! Statements of His unending love for us!

Jesus’s scars show us His suffering was all for a purpose when He brought salvation to the world. And those holy marks tell a story. Death could not stop Him. Sin could not keep Him in the grave. Sorrow could not tear Him apart. Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). He kept the scars to prove that because He was victorious, and we can be too!
Jesus faced everything that threatens to hurt you—sorrow, sin, betrayal, pain and death—and He was stronger than all of that! He conquered them all for you. His love for you is written all over His body in scars. He chose not to erase, minimize, or hide them. He left them to remind you that every time you doubt, every time you fear, every time you hurt, every time you feel alone, He is right there, and He understands your pain.

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For more encouraging scripture art and prayer, please "LIKE" SHOULDER2SHOULDER Women's Ministry page. Every like, comment and share helps our posts be seen by more people all over the world! We thank God for the privilege of sharing the gospel. If you are not a Christian but would like to know more about our faith and the free gift of salvation, please contact us. Also, feel free to use any of our scripture art as your profile pic or cover photo. Thanks friends, God bless your day!

09/13/2023

This spoke to me today. I am one of those who too many times let my feelings dictate my attitude, responses, and decisions which I later regret. I now ask God to help me so my feelings align with His truth.

06/30/2022

Thank You Lord! A wonderful reminder of His great love for us... God bless your day everyone!

05/17/2022

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me!
Psalm 139:17-18 NLT

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For more encouraging scripture art and prayer, please "LIKE" SHOULDER2SHOULDER Women's Ministry page. Every like, comment and share helps our posts be seen by more people all over the world! We thank God for the privilege of sharing the gospel. If you are not a Christian but would like to know more about our faith and the free gift of salvation, please contact us. Also, feel free to use any of our scripture art as your profile pic or cover photo. Thanks friends, God bless your day!