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way. Welcome to

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the less stress family podcast, where we believe you are valuable and what you do

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matters. I love it when you point the microphone is episode number 25. I'm Justin,

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and I am Shauna would

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Welcome. How are you, honey?

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I'm doing well. How are you today?

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I'm good. We just did that last episode on your immune system, and I've got a head cold now, so

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yeah, as you suck on a lolly cop.

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I know. I think it's sugar in lack of sleep on my part, but that's okay. So we don't think of the people listening. Thank you for your time. There were getting awesome feedback from people all over the place.

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That means so much to us. Because sometimes we feel like crazy people talking in a microphone in our bedroom. So

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we are in a better

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back is encouragement.

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We might be crazy people. Yeah, there we go. We might check off. Okay, so we're talking about today.

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We're talking about letting your light shine

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is awesome. I have have a story from when I don't remember this part, but when I was a baby newborn, my parents took me to their neighbors house who? They were older couple who could not have Children, right? And so they let they let me. They handed me over to one of them. I don't remember exactly. And I just screamed and cried And what? Newborns? Yeah, because that's what new borns do. And it was just whatever. So every time I visited them or we visit them as I was growing up, they told that story and they would laugh. And they were just, like, so happy about that story of just my parents coming over and sharing a screaming newborn baby with them because they never had that experience. Right? So that was how my parents let their light shine. And it was so simple. It was so easy. It meant really nothing. You know what I mean? Like to my parents? Yeah, cost to them. And I mean, it meant kind of nothing, you know? I mean, like, they're just visiting neighbors, right? With a newborn, right? So it was like, Okay, here you go. Here's the screen, baby. Into me like,

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Oh, I'm sorry. The babies going crazy, right?

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But a huge impact on and I remember every time we go over there.

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I remember where and they would just laugh and like, they were so happy

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about that. Right? So the point is, you never know when your light shines. You never know. You just never know how it impacts people. So we need to be shining lights. Yes. Not in people's eyes, like our kids go.

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I got this flashlight. Get it

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out of my

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face. Yeah. So hell is this Related with stress?

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I'm done talking.

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So I think it's related with stress because I think that we have bought into a lie that you have to be like this big, super qualified light in order to make an impact right? Like it should be like have special is in, like, special superpowers or whatever. And that causes stress because then you don't take the opportunity because you don't feel like you're qualified, and then you don't receive the blessing that comes from shining your light. And the other person doesn't receive it either. Um, so and I think that's really if we go down to the next level. Number one, we're just super busy is a society. We pride ourselves on being busy like somebody's like whole. I'm busy than you. Yeah, there's a badge of honor. But then the other thing is really deep down. We don't believe that what we do matters,

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right? Right? Especially in those little things. Yes, that are just hard to measure. It's hard to measure when your light shining. You know what I mean? Right? Like, how do you measure that? But you can measure getting a much of stuff done on your checklist. You know the right, Right? Right. So

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which feeds into the busy,

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Right? Right. Right. Which? You don't know about that, though, do you?

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I know I love chicks like

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checking him off. Get out of the way. I'm checking on my checklist,

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but here's the thing. Sometimes on my checklist, I can write the exactly at our little light shining moment.

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Exactly. Yeah, And you almost have toe plan for them. I'm going to shine my light at this point of the day or with this kind of situation, right? Otherwise, the business will just consume your light,

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right? And so being intentional, Um, about that, that's even a priority for you, right? Because you know, for me, because I am a do er and I like Thio. Mark all these things off my list and that kind of thing, I couldn't get hot and heavy into productivity.

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Oh, yeah,

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But, um, you know, like everyone who follows Jesus and has the Holy Spirit, Sometimes I have these quiet little voice inside Where the Lord speaking to me and saying Go give that person a hug

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Which happened this morning, right?

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Which happened this morning. We were a church. I did the traditional, you know, shaking of the hand. How are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was walking off, and then I felt like the Lord was like, go back and hug that lady. She needs a hug. So then I had a circle back around. Kind of like weird, because that's not what people do. And I was like, Can I give you a hug? And she bear her and she was like, I think I really needed that. Thank you.

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Well, yeah.

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So but

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so the truth iss the little light that we have even the little light that we have time and energy for right? Maybe you don't have time for a big project to go save the world. Right? Right. Yes, you can. But that little light is really important. The way you treat someone the way you help someone the way what you can do for them, right? Right is really important. So example, another example. Little bit. Story is we got married the bachelor party the night before we went caving because there's lots of caves where we live, and we got the cave at night and it was really dark because it was night time already. And we've never been to this cave. And we were lost

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because it was rule rule.

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Yeah. Yeah, this is I got no,

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I d

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no, no. There was no light. You couldn't see anything. And what we would have gave toe have one little light bulb on at someone's back, porch or house or something that we could have seen. Because we we got to the point where we're like, Oh, we might just have to sleep here on the ground because we couldn't We couldn't figure a way out, so

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Oh, my goodness is the bride. I am so glad I did not know my groom was lost.

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As a result, I brought lots of poison ivy onto the honeymoon,

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which you shared. Thanks.

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Yeah, that's marriage, right? So But that person who had who had turned that if they someone had turned on the light enough for us to see, they would not have known the impact that would have on my life. Right. Because I could really use that, like,

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yes, And I think that that's the truth. So often we don't know the impact that we have on people in these different ways.

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Right? And we have such a fast food mindset that we we just don't have the faith to believe that. Yeah, you know what? I'm doing these little things, and I'm just sewing little seeds of goodness, right. I'm letting my light shine into dark places. Even though they might not seem that dark. We want a fast food response. You know what I mean? Right? And that just doesn't happen. Like, usually that way,

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right? Sometimes, right? So I think just on a real practical level, like, if you think about the five Love Languages book, um, I'm blanking out on that. All

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things usually go

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that guy. Uh, anyway, he talks about you know how people express and receive love. So you know, just super simple things. Like hugs. You never know. Like that, lady, This morning when a hug is going to mean a whole lot distant money, right? Or just a kind word?

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Yeah, that's something I'm really trying work on because my love language has, you know, it's sarcasm or has been sarcasm. I'm trying to change that when I see the kids doing something good. Especially like tours are I see them. Hey, like,

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you

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know, like cause you continually teaching them about how not to do something so that hey, don't pee all over the lid, pee in the water, Okay? And so when I see the four year old

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Hey,

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good job. I saw that, You know, you did a good job. So anyway, I'm trying to move toward toward more words of encouragement right towards Mikey, as opposed to being like you didn't do this right, or you didn't do that right. Even though the time and place for that too,

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right? Taking a minute just to visit. And again I mean, that could be that could look like stopping in for just a minute to visit with the widow. But it could also mean when you're, you know, coming home. You've been at work all day. You gotta cook supper, and then you got to make it to this other appointment that you have is a family at night, right? It's easy. Just tow bypass your family members.

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Oh, yeah,

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but sure. Even taking 60 seconds to sit down and, you know, on the couch next to one of your kids and just connect for a minute.

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Yeah, like I feel like just making real eye contact. Sometimes shifts, shifts, the conversation even, You know, I mean, as opposed to just passing through, right. And, um, like I know there was. Ah, uh, there was a lady, another lady, a widow lady near our home between us and our Nana. Papa. Right. And sometimes we would stop and see her, right? It would take us 10 minutes, right? I tell the kids I threaten him. We're gonna go in here jointed. We're doing a goof. You know that. That voice the dad voice will be enough for five minutes. 10 minutes? Whatever. And it would make that ladies day, Uh, 10 minutes. It costs us. We'll probably like five usually. And usually she had some kind of treat or something to give the kids. You know, they always take well, whatever kitchen. Right, Right. She would find something for them. So they come out with, like, chocolate over the face and like, Oh, that was also can we go visit her again? But it took five or 10 minutes total. Yes. And it it made her day. She's like, I haven't seen anybody all day or haven't seen anybody all week, right? And it was just like, how easy is that,

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Right, Right. So hugs kind words take a minute to visit. Smiling. I mean, sometimes, even when you just if you go through Walmart there are a lot of people that look like life has kicked them in the teeth. What are you

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talking about? Me

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literally do. But just smiling it people, um, we're like dropping a card in the mail.

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Yeah, you do a good job of writing cards because no one does it anymore.

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Nobody does it anymore

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and and I can't tell. My dad writes a lot of cards, and he has some really cool car that he had made of one of his paintings, right? But he sends card to the people, and they're like, I got a card from your dad and I just cried. Yeah. So it's, like, really world. Yeah. Yeah. It's like

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really receiving something with stamps in the mail box. It's not a bill.

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Right? So how long's it take credit card?

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Not very long. No. Five minutes.

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Yeah. So,

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um or, you know, just small deeds, like, you know, can I pick this up for you? You know, just really small things. How can I help you? Do you want me to take that? I'm walking this way anyway. Can I get you anything?

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Right, Right. Right. So good.

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Um, so I think you know, the big solution here is the mindset shift is to believe that what I do does make a difference,

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Right? Makes a huge difference. Right? And not doing it could make a difference. Not just for you, not just for them, but for you. Especially right, because it'll shift your day a cz. You've done something toe. Let your light shine, right. It will shift the day. I promise it will. It'll shift your day because you know, you took the effort to just do that right, like put you on the winning team.

spk_1:   11:57
There's a Chinese proverb that I love. This is a bit of fragrance, clings to the hands that gives flowers. That's cool. And I think that's it is like you can't do something nice for somebody else without having that positive impact on yourself as well.

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Very good.

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And I think, you know, even for our kids being able to teach them to be having awareness of others, because everything in our society drives us to be self absorbed.

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Oh, no, no, no.

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And so even, you know, asking the questions with someone you know, if if your child is interacting with someone and they've been really grumpy at school or whatever it is, you know, asking like, Hey, I wonder what's going on in his life, right? You know, helping them process and then helping them see Well, what is something small that I could do?

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Different? Yeah, And we remember, Even as we stop with the widow there with our kids, I'd be like, Hey, how would it feel if you not talk to anybody all day, right? Like, how would that How would that make you feel? And how do you feel? You know, And just try to bring them into that. Imagine that world which they can, you know? I mean, you can't really imagine, but their hearts were a lot more open. Yes, of course. In the chocolate that she would give also open their hearts in their mouths. Very right. Yeah,

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very good.

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I'm done.

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So what we're suggesting is that you will feel more stressed if you don't believe that what you do matters and that you don't have an impact on people. So the solution is just doing little things that letting your light shine

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right? It's so simple. You got a little light. All you gotta do to let Shawn?

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Yes. Thank you so much for taking time to tune in and hang out with us. Remember, you are valuable and what you do matters you are also not alone. We would love, love, love to have you subscribe to this podcast. If you enjoyed it today and connect with us, you can connect with us on Facebook. You can connect with us on our website. You can connect with us on Instagram on our personal accounts. I'm Shawna Sri. Would you go

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Ray would I was sent here. Think about how beautiful you are. You're just sucking on

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that lollipop. Alright, guys, have a blessed day.

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Thank you.