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Melissa Mulvaney

Finding Meaning, Joy & Purpose in the Chaos & Crazy of Life...and Helping You Find Yours Too!

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Hi Friend!

I'm so excited that you've found my little corner of the interwebs! I hope you will find encouragement, hope and joy here. My strongest desire is for us to find our meaning, joy and purpose together. I don't know about you, but mine is wrapped up in a bunch of chaos and crazy (a lot of my own making!) and most days, I wouldn't have it any other way! Read More…

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What I Learned this Winter

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Coming Out of the Dark

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melissa.mulvaney

Helping you find the Meaning, Joy & Purpose in the craziness of life & glorify God while doing it!
💗Wife
🏈Mom
🌟Joy finder
👗Cancer Survivor
✝️Believer

God has been showing me that I am spending way too

God has been showing me that I am spending way too much of my time and attention on social media.

I have tried to memorize Philippians 4:8 for years. Yup, years. But in my way too busy, multitasking, ‘too many tabs open’ brain, I often neglect studying this long enough to actually memorize it for lesser things....like social media.

But instead of simply convicting me of that, as God always lovingly does, He used His Word to bring me hope.

God also has brought a sister along who is living out her purpose by pointing others toward Christ by fasting. Not only has @wendy_speake written about fasting from sugar, she recently released the 40 Day Social Media Fast book and is leading it through Lent. I am thrilled to be joining her on this journey!

This is, and will be uncomfortable as I change some really bad habits, but I am looking forward to turning to God instead of my phone.

Looking to God when I’m stressed. When I’m overwhelmed. When I’m lonely. When I’m bored. When I’m sad. When I miss my boys. When I miss ‘the old days’ before these pandemical times. When I want a distraction.

The thing about our God...He’s always there. He’s waiting for us to turn to Him. Not in an impatient or judgemental way, but in a loving way. In an expectant way of wanting to be with us. Hang out with us. Listen to us. Talk with us. Love on us.

Maybe you too have gotten a little too distracted these days. It’s been pretty easy to do living through a pandemic and a very different kind of life these last 11 1/2 months. It’s ok if you’ve picked up some bad habits. Almost all of us have!

But God doesn’t want you to stay in them. Turn to Him, and He will give you all you need.

And that might mean putting down for your phone for awhile. But I promise you that God will honor that choice, and you will know Him in a new and fresh way that you could never have experienced with your head down looking at your phone.

Look up. He is there. He loves you and desires to spend time with you.

Will you join Him?

(and yes...I plan on being away from IG for the most part for the next 40 days. I’m always available via DM though. I’ll see you in April!)

Happy Valentine’s Day to my forever valentine. H

Happy Valentine’s Day to my forever valentine. He’s embraced my crazy so well over the last 24 years together, so even though he probably didn’t want to hop out of the car to take a selfie yesterday with all the crazy ice fishing shanties in the background, he did it anyway.
I’m thankful for the way he loves me, through good times and bad, calm moments and the crazy ones I often bring to our lives.
You make me a better version of myself.

I’d love to know....
What does your valentine embrace about you?

Y’all!!! Amazon just delivered me a package of J

Y’all!!! Amazon just delivered me a package of JOY!
This mask will now let me show people the smiles I’ve been giving them for the last 11 months under a mask!
I can’t wait to put this on and spread joy, one smile at a time!

In case you need this reminder as much as I do tod

In case you need this reminder as much as I do today.....

What are you doing today to make it a great day?

📸: @photographybytrae

Hi my name is Melissa and I’m hooked on McDonald

Hi my name is Melissa and I’m hooked on McDonald’s Coke. 🥤
It really is better than anywhere else.
I love Coke so much that my BFF gave me this shirt for Christmas. Isn’t it funny! 🤣
But I have realized that all too often I turn to a sugar high instead of Jesus when I’m stressed out or tired. I use it to give me energy and comfort instead of seeking those things in the company of Jesus.
I’m tired of looking to earthly things to do what God created himself to do in my heart. So I’m making some changes. Some I may talk about here, and some between me and God.

Do you have something that you seek out for comfort instead of Jesus? Talk to him about it, and ask Him how He would like you to move forward.
He can, and He will!

#mcdonaldscokeisthebest #mcdonaldscoke #bringmeacoke #illloveyouforever #justbeinghonest #letgoandletgod #trustinggod #findingcomfort #findingmeaningjoypurpose #cocacola #overwhelmed #overwhelmedmom #overwhelmedbylife #stressedout #blessednotstressed #gettinghealthy #smilingismyfavorite #itssimplytuesday #findingjoyinthelittlethings #findingjoyeveryday

What a call to us to live our lives humbly, gently

What a call to us to live our lives humbly, gently, patiently. And to bear with one another in love.

Is that a challenge for you? It is for me, more often that I'd care to admit.

But little by little, the more time I spend with Jesus, the more I see this become a part of my response to others.

I'm thankful for the challenge from my friend @beckykeife to memorize scripture and cling to truth.

#clingtotruth #ephesians42 #memorizescripture #bearwithoneanotherinlove #bepatient #spendtimewithjesus #findingmeaningjoypurpose #findmeaningjoypurpose

So thankful for @beckykeife’s weekly reminder to

So thankful for @beckykeife’s weekly reminder to cling to the truth and memorize scripture.

Living in and through God’s love because of Jesus is the highest calling for believers.

What’s one way you can love on someone else today? I hope you do it!
Let me know in the comments so I can celebrate what God is doing through you today.

Me? I’m going to text a friend who just had surgery and ask when I can bring a meal.

#clingtotruth #liveloved #loveasjesusloves #welovebecausehefirstlovedus #lovebiglivesmall #iamloved #jesuslovesyou #1john49 #1john4v9

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkn

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
2 Corinthians 4:6

Thankful that God chose to let the sun shine into this cold January day. Normally it’s so gray and dreary here in Michigan.

And as I reflect on the joy the sunshine and the reflected lights that dance around my family room, I’m more grateful for the love of Jesus that shines in my heart and pray that I can reflect it to everyone I talk with today.

It’s no mistake that God gave me the phrase ‘Shine the light’ as my ‘word of the year’. I asked Him for a word, and He gave me a phrase. And I know Him well enough to know that as He keeps showing it to me, over and over in so many different places, that He will use it in my life this year. And my prayer is that I will be obedient to not just let His light shine in me, but shine it to others.

Do you have a word for the year?

#thislittlelightofmine #wordoftheyear #wordoftheyear2021 #shinethelight #shineon #findingmeaningjoypurpose #shinehislight #thisisme #januaryinmichigan #ovarcomer #cancersurvivor #ovariancancersurvivor #thankfulforthesun #delightinthesmallthings #dreambiglivesmall #lovebiglivesmall #jesuslovesme

“We can do no great things, only small things wi

“We can do no great things, only small things with great love.”- Mother Teresa

Last week, my small thing with great love was spending time with my adopted family and loving on their kids so Mama and Dad could get some much needed sleep, a date and time to not be holding a baby.

I adored every minute of this small thing so that I could shine God’s great love. Not just because I was His hands and feet, but because my Mimi heart was so full loving on this little sweetheart!

What ways can you show great love in small things? Will you join me in committing to do it this week?

#dosmallthingswithgreatlove #smallthingsmatter #delightinthesmallthings #greatlove #motherteresa #mimimoments #findingmeaningjoypurpose #shineon #shinegodslove #ovarcomer #servehim

What a beautiful reminder of the way I want to sta

What a beautiful reminder of the way I want to start my day!
Thank you @beckykeife for reminding me to #clingtotruth.

#startyourdaywithprayer #psalm5v3 #memorizescripture #waitexpectantly #youhearmyvoice #inthemorning #inthemorningwhenirisegivemejesus #findingmeaningjoypurpose

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