Surrendering this Dream

"Tomorrow's freedom is today's surrender."

It is extraordinarily hard to let a dream go. Particularly when it is teetering on the edge of being something bigger than yourself…. but you know you are being called to step away from what you've cultivated for so long. This is where Shine & Soar is at today.

We launched S&S a year and half ago, published five issues, built an incredible network of contributors, and watched as God used us to build a place for growth. This isn't a brand new dream anymore, some hustle has been put into it, and it is going place. However, there has been a lack of peace or clarity for the future. We had to sit down as a team and look at the cold hard facts of where we wanted our lives to be in the next couple of years -- and if Shine & Soar fit into that. Ultimately, it does not. And, that is okay, because THIS is the entrepreneurial life: trying things, doing the hard work, and seeing if they fly or fail. It’s the nature of the game! Risk.

Part of me still aches when I think about running a magazine - how it combines all my passions so effortlessly. But I'm believing that if I let it go and it is part of God's calling on my life, he is going to cultivate that desire I have somewhere else in life.

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

 This song has been on repeat for this whole process of praying and making decisions for the future of Shine & Soar. It reminds us all of what our core is all about: more faith and going deeper in this walk with Jesus. This is a step of faith to surrender this dream though part of our hearts are still kicking to hang on to it. There are still countless lessons we learned on this journey that I will be sharing in blog posts when my new site/brand launches soon.

 Here is the lowdown for what the next two weeks will be like: we will shut down all of our social media (minus Facebook) on Friday. We're leaving Facebook open for a just-in-case scenario or if we want to drop an update to you all. The website and all magazine issues will be kept online for the foreseeable future, we hope it continues to encourage you and other people for years to come.

Even though God is calling us to consolidate our lives and focus more intently, we still have the same heart. Mackenzie is still planning on blogging on life and inspiration posts here on her blog along with speaking and mentoring in the future. Sarah will be posting some mentorship details soon (hint hint: you don't have to live in Dallas for her to mentor you!), so stay tuned to her website for that. Ciera would love for you to message her with questions if you have any! And like I said earlier, when my new brand launches, I plan on posting some blog posts about entrepreneurship, life, and Jesus (and even have a few ideas up my sleeve that some of you might be interested in!). Also, all of our awesome contributors will still be post crazy inspiring content on their blogs and Instagrams!

We are resting in the fact that God will still fuel you with inspiration and strength through Himself and other amazing people in our industries.

If there is one thing that I hope you learn from us it's this: DARE. Try something, start something, put your whole heart and soul into it, and work hard at it. Fail hard and fail often friends…it's the only way to grow. Make life happen. Never be afraid to explore and pursue what God is calling your heart to.

We love you all so much & thanks for joining us in this adventure! It was a thrill.

xo, Bethany (and Ciera, Sarah, and Mackenzie as well)