Wrecked with news of her husband’s affair and his request for a divorce, Shauna finds herself urgently faced with a decision. Does she give up and divorce her husband and move on, or does she try to fight for her marriage? The former choice seems to contradict God’s plan for how to love, such as “love never gives up,” “love is patient,” and “love is kind.” Taking God at His word and assuming the love chapter was really meant to be followed literally word by word, she not only finds herself falling in love with her spouse again, but also falling in love with Jesus, which changes everything.
Shauna Shanks is a wife, mother, and entrepreneur. She started Smallfolk, a health food café, out of her passion for health and fitness and unchecked desire to make fancy pop tarts. She graduated from Christ for the Nations Institute with a focus on world missions. Shauna and her husband, Micah, who is a police officer, have been married for 14 years, and they are building a house out of shipping containers with their three boys on an Ohio farm.
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Quotes
I went to the Lord in desperation. I didn’t know what to do. The Lord told me ‘don’t look for outside advice right now. I’m going to feed you from my own hand’.
Instead of focusing on his indifference it took my eyes off of my husband and put them on me. I can’t change his heart but the Holy Spirit can.
I wanna be on fire for Him and live for Him.
God can do anything and He’s a changer of hearts.
The prize at the end was my identity in Christ.
We actually include God in our lives.
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A friend shared your podcast with me weeks ago and in God’s perfect timing, I finally made it intentional today and this was the first Feathers podcast I’ve listened to. That said, I’m so thankful and I’m very excited to listen to more of your podcasts Amy! Shauna did a great job, so good and so many good nuggets that spoke directly to me and I plan to read her book. You don’t need to have a marriage with an affair to get this message. At my women’s group this past Monday, a friend was basically saying to me it’s not about your husband, its’ about your relationship with God – that’s the most important thing! I found Jesus later in life at 35 and I know He is still patiently waiting for me to get it and choose Him first! My marriage happens to have a lot of challenges with my husband having ADHD and all of the loneliness, anger etc. that comes with that…for years! I’ve been trying to honor God staying in and praising Him through the storms of almost 18 years of marriage, but I am not following 1 Cor 13 and I have not been completely obedient to God in that way and I need to control my tongue and anger. When Shauna mentioned “blatant indifference” about her husband that pointed back at her relationship with God, I was stunned and convicted and actually said “wow” out loud. He is saying that to me too! I also think about the verse with the plank…Matt 7:5. I have not been following this… somewhere along the road I took over the controls and forgot about God. I do praise Him everyday and pray and encourage others but I need to release and be intentional about God and stop waiting when the answer is right in front of me! It’s a daily battle of distraction. Another key thing that Shauna said that spoke volumes to me was about her and her husband both chasing God. We are just at the beginning…but God is on the move in this way in my marriage right now. My husband came to church Sunday (not with me but he ended up there) and is attending a men’s group through church and meeting with one of the men who is mentoring him. These are recent and very promising changes and I have to chase Him too! So enough about me. I am very happy to have listened to your podcast and feel more hopeful in my marriage but especially my relationship with God (this has been a consistent reminder from HIM) so thank you both!