The Hesitation

How to Take the Next Step When You Don’t Feel Ready

Have you ever known there was something you needed to do—but instead of taking the first step, you kept saying, “I’m praying about it”?

Friend, sometimes we absolutely should wait

.

We should always seek God first. We need His wisdom and discernment before charging ahead simply because we want something.

But sometimes waiting isn’t faith.

Sometimes waiting is hesitation wearing church clothes.

In this episode of Seeking Happy, Finding Joy, we’re talking about that little space between knowing and doing – when God may have already shown you enough to begin, but you’re still waiting for another sign, more confidence, or some guarantee about the outcome.

We’ll look at Gideon’s story in Judges 6 and the reminder in James 2:17 that genuine faith produces action.

And then I’ll give you three simple questions to help you identify your next faithful step:

• What do I already know?
• What is ONE faithful step I can take?
• When will I do it?

You don’t need Step 7 today.

You might not even need Step 3.

Maybe you just need enough faith to take Step 1.

This Week’s Reflection

What has God already made clear?

Where might you be waiting to feel ready—or brave—before you move?

Ask Him: “God, what is my next faithful step?”

Then pray. Listen. Discern.

And when you know what it is – move.

Because faith isn’t only believing God can lead you. Faith also looks like trusting Him enough to take the step when He calls.

Scripture to study out this week:

Matthew 6:33 Judges 6 James 2:17

Connect:

Website: seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Email: hello@seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Instagram: @sherryshipley.coach

Or find me on Facebook!

If this message blessed you or something rang true for you, please share this episode with a friend!

Trust me on this: God loves you and He is NOT finished with your story.

The Good You May Be Missing — How Gratitude Cultivates Joy

What if there’s more good in your life today than you realize?

Not because every day is good. And definitely not because the hard things have suddenly disappeared.

Sometimes what we’re going through becomes so big that it fills our entire field of vision—and we stop seeing the good that is still there.

In this episode of Seeking Happy, Finding Joy, we’re taking a little time to breathe, look around, and talk about gratitude.

Because when Paul tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to “give thanks in all circumstances,” he isn’t asking us to pretend heartbreak doesn’t hurt or call something good that isn’t good.

Gratitude allows us to hold both.

I’ll share how I experienced that firsthand in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Ian—and we’ll look at Paul and Silas praising God from a prison cell before they had any idea how their story would end.

And then I’ll give you a simple practice you can begin using today:

Slow Down. Notice. Savor. And thank God.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Giving thanks in difficult circumstances without pretending they’re good
• Recognizing God’s provision in the middle of painful seasons
• Why knowing God’s character gives us reason for gratitude even when we don’t understand what He’s doing
• The difference between simply listing what we’re thankful for and actually experiencing gratitude
• A simple seven-day practice to help you become more aware of God’s goodness in your everyday life

Happiness is fleeting – it is tied to a moment.

But gratitude trains us to recognize God’s goodness and presence even when the moment isn’t happy.

And that’s where gratitude can become a bridge toward joy.

Scriptures to explore this week

1 Thessalonians 5:18 Ephesians 5:19–20 Psalm 9:1 Psalm 100:4–5 Psalm 118:29

Connect:

Website: seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Email: hello@seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Instagram: @sherryshipley.coach

Or find me on Facebook!

If this message blessed you or something rang true for you, please share this episode with a friend!

Trust me on this: God loves you and He is NOT finished with your story.

How You Can Release Old Beliefs to Move Forward

What’s in YOUR backpack?

Friend, sometimes the thing keeping us stuck isn’t what happened to us.

It’s what we came to believe about ourselves because it happened.

• A disappointment becomes I’m a failure.
• Rejection becomes I’m not lovable.
• Comparison becomes I’ll never measure up.
• Regret becomes If only I had done things differently…

And before we know it, we’re carrying those beliefs into every new season God leads us toward.

In this episode of Seeking Happy, Finding Joy, we’re opening up that backpack and taking a look at what’s really inside.

We’ll talk about:

• How experiences, wounds, regret and other people’s words can become beliefs we carry for years
• Why some of those “rocks” actually feel protective – even when they weigh us down
• Three questions to help you uncover what a belief may be costing you
• The difference between what happened to you and what you decided it meant about you
• Why Jesus invites us to stop doing all the heavy pulling ourselves
• How to begin bringing the stories you’ve believed into the light of God’s truth

You don’t have to unpack the whole backpack today.

But maybe it’s time to look inside.

Grab Your Reflection Page

I created a simple Unpacking the Backpack Reflection Journal to help you spend some quiet time with God and work through the questions from today’s episode.

[DOWNLOAD YOUR REFLECTION PAGE]

Scriptures from Today’s Episode

Matthew 11:28–30 Ephesians 2:10 Isaiah 43:18–19 Psalm 92:12–14 Psalm 38:4 Proverbs 3:5 Romans 8:1

Let's Connect!

Website: seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Email: hello@seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Instagram: @sherryshipley.coach

Or find me on Facebook!

If you know a woman who needs this message today, please share this episode with her.

Trust me on this: God loves you and He is NOT finished with your story.

What’s Next? 3 Ways to Find Your Point A

What happens when the life you planned doesn’t look anything like the life you’re living?

Maybe the roles have changed. The relationship ended. The kids grew up. The career shifted. Loss changed everything. Or maybe life simply took a turn you never saw coming.

And now you’re wondering…

What’s next for me?

Before you can answer that question, there’s another one we need to ask first:

Where am I right now?

Think about your GPS. Before it can give you directions to where you want to go, it has to locate your Point A.

And friend, your Point A is about more than your circumstances.

It’s also about who you’ve become in response to what happened—and what you may still be carrying from the life you thought you were supposed to have.

In this episode, we’ll talk about:

• Why a changed route doesn’t mean something has gone wrong
• How expectations, roles and the need for approval can quietly shape the path we choose
• What my years of motorcycle riding taught me about planned routes—and unexpected detours
• Three practical questions to help you honestly identify your Point A
• Why awareness, not fixing everything, is the first step forward

We’ll also look at James 4:13–15 and the difference between making our plans and trusting God with the route.

You do not need to have your whole future figured out today.

But before we start asking who God is calling you to become, we need to get honest about the woman standing here today.

Because you can’t move forward from Point A until you know where Point A is.

Connect:

Website: seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Email: hello@seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Instagram: @sherryshipley.coach

Or find me on Facebook!

If you know a woman who needs this message today, please share this episode with her.

Trust me on this! God is NOT finished with your story.

Why I Went Silent — And What God Revealed

Hi Friend,

Have you ever known God was calling you toward something … but somehow kept finding perfectly reasonable reasons to wait?

Maybe you told yourself you needed more clarity. More confidence. Better timing. Maybe you needed to feel more qualified before you could take the next step.

I understand.

After launching Seeking Happy, Finding Joy, I went silent. There were plenty of legitimate reasons why—and for a long time, I believed they explained the silence.

But they weren’t the whole truth.

In this episode, I’m sharing what God revealed when I finally became willing to look beneath all those reasons and confront what was really keeping me from moving forward.

Because sometimes the thing keeping us from what God is calling us toward isn’t lack of clarity.

It’s fear disguised as a reason to wait.

We’ll talk about the boxes we build around ourselves—fear of what people will think, believing we’re not good enough, worrying we’ll get it wrong—and what can happen when we stop allowing those fears to make our decisions.

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re qualified, ready, or courageous enough to step into what God is calling you to do, this conversation is for you.

You don’t have to have everything figured out before you take the next step.

You just have to be willing to take it.

Connect:

Website: seekinghappyfindingjoy.com

Email: yourcoachsherry@gmail.com

Instagram: @sherryshipley.coach

Or find me on Facebook!

If you know a woman who needs this message today, please share this episode with her.

Trust me on this! God is NOT finished with your story.

Hi friend,

We’ve all made mistakes at some point, right? Made a poor decision or bad choice?

You’ve looked back and wish you’d had chosen differently? “If I had been a better parent; hadn’t taken that job; married that person; listened to my mother; said that horrible thing … “

We have all done or said things we regret. But all too often that regret morphs into Guilt.

What happens when you can’t move past the guilt?

When it just keeps coming back to the forefront of your mind in a way that’s keeping you stuck?

Friend – that unhealthy place is NOT what Jesus wants for you!

God doesn’t want regret or guilt to rob us of our joy. Joy in Him, Joy of our family, the Joy of living!

Because guilt is NOT an emotion from Him.

Your past is nothing more than a place you’ve been

It does not define who you are or what God wants to do in your future!

Today we’re going talk about where guilt comes from; why you need to give it to God and, 7 ways you can do just that.

Genesis 3:10 – first guilt

Psalm 51:3-4 – David’s guilt

Matthew 26:75 – Peter’s guilt

John 10:10 – the enemy’s plan

Ephesians 2:13 – how God sees you

Romans 8:1 – our redemption

Ephesians 1:7 – our redemption

Psalm 139:23-24 – ask Him

1 John 1:9 - confess

Isaiah 1:18 – repent

Phil 3:13-14 – press forward

Romans 8:28 – give thanks

Ephesians 2:10 – good works

Romans 10:17 – His Word

Jeremiah 29:11 – your future

You Are:

John 15:16 - Chosen

Psalm 103:12 - Forgiven

Eph 2:10 - Special

Daniel 12:3 - Lovely

Eccel 3:11 - Beautiful

Gen 1:31 - Created

Psalm 139:13 - Unique

Psalm 18:35 - Strong

1 Cor 6:20 – Precious

Connect: https://www.facebook.com/groups/navigatechallenges

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sherryshipley.coach/

Hi Friend, Faith, Trust, Gratitude … pretty easy to have, when life runs smooth, right?

But how about when you’re navigating difficult life storms … especially the ones that come at us full force; the ones that tear down everything we believed would always be there or rip away life as we know it. How easy is it then?

If you’ve ever experienced a nasty life storm, you may have asked yourself:

- Is there more after this than just surviving?

- Will I always feel broken?

- Why would God allow me to go through this?!

Storms that bring devastation and upheaval, are painful. I speak from personal experience!

But also I’ve discovered if we let them, those same storms can also become the source of new life we may never have seen otherwise.

In today’s episode using biblical principles, we are going to explore how life’s storms can actually be a catalyst to new growth and opportunities in spite of the hard.

Scripture:

1 Thess 5:18

Romans 8:28

Phil 4:7

Matt 6:19-21

Psalms 121:1-2

2 Cor 12:9

2 Corinthians 5:7

Isaiah 55:8-9

Connect:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/navigatechallenges

IG: https://www.instagram.com/sherryshipley.coach/

Are you frustrated because you’re not living the life you know you were meant for, because you let fear rule instead?

Are you FULLY using your gifts and talents to create a life you love, or is fear making you play small?

It’s really, really important to understand what fear is, and how to recognize when you’re in that space, because if you don’t, fear can keep you from living a full, satisfying and joyful life!!!!

Fear is a tool the enemy uses against us to make us miserable and keep us from chasing our dreams.

Fear is actually unbelief – which is the very opposite of Faith

God desires us to walk by Faith, but the enemy wants us to walk in fear

I know firsthand how crippling fear of the unknown can be!!

How it can keep you from living an abundant life filled with peace and joy

Once I chose faith over fear, my life began to change

In today’s episode, we are going to uncover how to recognize when you’re operating from a place of fear plus explore six different ways to overcome and take action so you can become the confident, courageous and resilient person God designed you to be!

I pray this blesses you!

xo, Sherry

I would love to connect with you on social media!

Find me in my private Facebook group, Seeking Happy, Finding Joy

www.facebook.com/groups/1130925124538778/

Or on Instagram at sherryshipley.coach

In case you didn’t catch all the references today:

Matthew 6:25

Philippians 4:6-7

Jeremiah 29:11

Proverbs 3:5-6

Isaiah 41:13

2 Corinthians 10:5