Royal Daughter Designs

Hey y’all! I’m thrilled to be guest posting here today – isn’t Ashley just marvelous?

I’m Amanda. Nice to meet you. Of course, we haven’t officially met until you've introduced yourself – so head on over to my blog and say hi!

Ashley is one incredible woman, no? Her passion to accomplish things that are bigger than herself is absolutely inspiring. I’ve been thinking a lot about the word shine and I wanted to share with five easy ways to help us remember to shine:

S is for serve. Do you want to be a shining light to those around you? I know I do. We’ve got to learn to serve others. This doesn’t mean we all have to volunteer at a soup kitchen or for the Salvation Army. Let’s look for little ways to serve someone every day. A couple of weeks ago there was a woman in an electric scooter at ~~the store that shall not be named~~ Wal-Mart and she couldn’t reach an item she needed so I offered to help her. The resulting smile was totally worth it. I served her. And it took all of 25 seconds.

H is for honor. Honor seems to be a forgotten word, unless it is being used in patriotic sense. But really it just means to attribute value to someone. In our effort to shine, let’s remember to show honor to those who deserve it. Let’s show honor to the elderly by spending time with them and listening to their stories of days gone by. Let’s honor those who are ill by finding practical ways to provide for them and their families. Let’s be intentional in giving honor to others.

I is for initiative. From an early age my parents taught me that the difference between being a leader and being a follower is taking the initiative. Anyone can do something after they’ve been asked or told to do it. But a leader – someone who shines – learns to take the initiative and does things without being asked or told to do them. Let’s be intentional about seeking out ways to fill a need, to take initiative.

N is for nurture. We often think of nurturing as being something that mommies do. But everyone needs to be nurtured, don’t you agree? Friends, if we’re going to make a difference in this world, if we’re going to shine, we’ve got to take time out of our day to nurture others. Nurture relationships. Nurture a sense of worth and value in those with whom we interact on a daily basis. Nurture kindness. Nurture love.

E is for example. Let’s be honest. If we shine all day long and never inspire anyone else to shine right along with us, we’re not really shining, now are we? No! We’ve got to set an example and help others learn how to shine with us. Multiplication baby! In our effort to shine, let’s remember that even if we think we’re setting an example, it doesn’t mean that anyone is watching. We must take the initiative to recognize the leaders among us and teach them to become better leaders. Better shiners. Better people.

You want to know what I’m doing to shine? My husband and I are about to become first time “parents” to three boys, ages 10, 11, and 15! We’ve known them for most of their lives. Their mom passed away a couple of years ago and their dad can’t take care of them right now. So we’re going to bring them into our home and do our best to love all over them! I’m learning first-hand what it means to be doing something that is bigger than myself!

But let’s not forget the reason that we shine. Jesus said, “Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16) It’s not about us, y’all. It’s not about us.

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Today I’m offering you lovely readers a $25 shop credit to my blog design studio: Royal Daughter Designs. The credit can be applied toward any service: from a pre-made design (that'd be free folks!) to any custom design package.

Be a public follower of The Shine Project & Royal Daughter Designs

For additional entries:

Follow Royal Daughter Designs and The Shine Project on facebook

Follow Royal Daughter Designs and The Shine Project on twitter

Be a public follower of my personal blog DAES of Our Lives

Be a public follower of The Vintage Shine Shop and tell Ashley what your favorite item is.

Y’all! That’s five entries! Good luck!

{the Christiy} Premium Premade

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