Faith in Life’s Trials: Finding Strength and Peace Through Psalms

I have to admit that after a fun weekend with family and friends at a Cycle for Survival event in Boston, I felt a bit solemn yesterday. The fundraiser had been a good distraction from reality, but yesterday I began sitting with the reality of losing a mentor this week, along with some things happening in the lives of loved ones, and in the world.

I have been studying Psalms this year, and I’ve noticed a five-part theme woven throughout them:

- Life will have its trials

- Call out to God in the trials

- Remember His steadfast love and faithfulness

- Trust God, no matter the circumstances

- Give thanks and praise to God

What I love about the principles in the Bible is that they aren’t just for David, Solomon, and the other writers of Psalms, or for the people in the other books of the Bible. These themes and principles are given for us to learn from so that we can put them into practice in our own lives.

The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that “nothing is new under the sun.” Though the trials then and now may not be exactly the same, life has always had, and will always have, its challenges. Faith can help us through, just as it did those who came before us.

Faith is not the absence of fear, but the choice to turn to God in the midst of it as our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)

I share this today in case your personal trials, or the trials in the world, are affecting you as they were impacting me yesterday. I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

May we follow the example of those before us and turn to God in our trials. May we remember His steadfast love and faithfulness in our lives and in the lives of others, including those in the Bible. May we trust God, no matter the circumstances, and be prayerful about what may be ours to say or do, beyond prayer, if anything. And may we choose to give thanks to God, not for the circumstances, but for the good that is still present in the day, in spite of them.

As Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl said,

“Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

May we recognize that space he speaks of and invite God into it, allowing His truth and wisdom to guide us through our trials, just as He has guided so many before us.

With love and hope,
Shawn

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.
In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!
I have overcome the world - John 16:33

Rare Disease Day: Riding for a Cure at Cycle for Survival in Boston

On rare disease day yesterday, it was an honor to ride with this amazing @bravelikegabe team at @cycleforsurvival in Boston! We came together, had fun and raised another $10,000 for rare cancer research to carry on Gabe’s legacy 💙🙏🙌

Small deposits over time add up, and I am praying all these donations add up to a cure one day🙏

Thanks to all who donated!

With gratitude and hope,
Shawn

Look at What You Did Do: A Reminder to Stop Focusing on What You Didn’t Finish

Like most of you, we have been doing a good amount of shoveling recently. The other day Matt and I finished up the shoveling and then I raked the roof, as we had some water damage after the last big storm. I was proud of what Matt and I had accomplished. And then when I went out the next morning I realized that after I raked the roof, I forgot to go back to shovel what I pulled off the roof that landed on our walkway in front of the breezeway doors.

I told Stephen and his reply was what I needed to hear. He said, “Look at what you did do.”

I don’t know about you but I have the tendency to finish my day and can think about what I didn’t get to, rather than what I did accomplish.

Can you relate?

If so, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Following Stephen’s advice, may we look at what we did get done and not allow what we didn’t get to negate the accomplishments of the day. Most of the time no one ever knows what we didn’t get to except us, and is it really worth our peace to ruminate on it? I’m pretty certain God isn’t shaking His head at us, and neither should we.

With love and hope,
Shawn

Choose the Light: Finding Hope in God During the Dark Days of Winter

I’ve been getting in my head recently. It’s the end of February, and some years this time of the year just gets to me. Winter is a beautiful season, yet like every season, it comes with its challenges.

Tonight I was looking at the stars shining brightly against the dark sky. They reminded me of the verse about how the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

I wholeheartedly believe this, but I don’t always feel it.

Yet I know I can’t allow my feelings to lead me. I need to follow what is true.

I need to keep my eyes and ears focused on the light, no matter how small or dim it may seem. Even a pinhole of light can brighten a dark space.

And God is light.

Jesus is the light of the world.

When I focus on the darkness, it seems to grow.

But when I seek God and look for what is good and remember all there is to be grateful for, the light grows instead.

So I have to ask myself, what am I choosing to focus on, the light or the darkness?

I choose the light, even though some days the darkness feels easier to see.

I share this in case you too find yourself stuck in your thoughts sometimes. If you can relate, I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Let’s ask Spirit to renew our thoughts and choose a new meditation for our minds, such as “Today I am thankful to God for…” And then begin to list the blessings in our lives, big and small. And when our thoughts shift back, as they naturally will, let’s gently redirect them.

By shifting our thoughts, we make room for light to shine and for darkness to lose its hold on our minds. We are not weak for having these moments or days. We are human. But we are not without hope.

May we remember God is the light in our lives so that no matter the season, we continue practicing turning our focus toward Him to lighten our minds, especially in the darker days of February.

With love and hope,
Shawn

PS I do love how it’s staying lighter later and later☀️🙏❄️

Hard Pressed but Not Destroyed: How God Strengthens Us in Difficult Seasons

May today remind us, it isn’t the sunny days that make the trees stronger. It is the days like these when they are tested by the weight of the snow and the wind.

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember that our tough days aren’t meant to break us, but strengthen us as well, from the inside out.

With love and hope,
Shawn

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed - 2 Corinthians 4:7-9

Remembering the Firsts and Lasts

This morning was Matt’s last rec basketball game, and my last time coaching my kids. It’s a bittersweet feeling but I am grateful to be present for it.

I remember when Matt was four, and I had cancer the song Last time for Everything by Brad Paisley was new. At the time when I would hear the song I would get emotional because I didn’t know the outcome.

Now when I hear it, I give thanks.

This song gave me wisdom to be present enough in life to recognize our lasts and firsts, and more.

I share this with you today as writing is a means of therapy for myself and also to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we ask God to help us be present in our lives to notice the little things, like the firsts, the lasts, and the moments we may otherwise rush past. Being present in this way will be a gift to ourselves, and those we love, like it was to witness Matt play in his last game in rec this morning.

With love and hope,
Shawn

What If We Focused on Giving Instead of Getting? A Simple Shift That Changes Everything

What if we entered the day focused on what we can give rather than on what we can get?

I invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Let’s live out this wisdom today💕🙏💕

With love and hope,
Shawn

You Are Loved Just As You Are: A Powerful Reminder of God’s Transforming Love

I wanted to take a moment to remind you of something important...

You are loved in this moment, exactly as you are.
You don’t need to change to be loved.
You don’t need to do more.
You don’t need to become someone else.
You are loved as you are, even with the things you wish were different.
You are beautifully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
God loves you, and me, just as we are.

Isn’t this comforting to know?

And His love is transformative.

He is patient with us.
He is kind and humble-hearted.
He is slow to anger and keeps no record of wrongs.
He comes beside us.
He helps us let go and trust Him.
He is present with us day and night.
He is with you and for you.
He genuinely loves you.

I invite you to join me to...

pause. breathe. pray.

Let this truth sink in not just today, but every day.

And consider sharing this truth with someone else who would benefit from hearing it.

With love and hope,
Shawn

God is love. - 1 John 4:16

The Power of Words: How Encouragement Can Change Hearts and Communities

There is nothing more powerful than using our words to speak truth and life into someone else. May we take time today to…

pause. breathe. pray.

Let’s choose to use our words today to remind someone they matter in our life and reflect to them the qualities we appreciate about them.

Imagine what would change within hearts, in families, communities, and our world if our focus was on reflecting to one another the truth of our value and purpose. Let’s choose to be the ones who do this for others, one word at a time. 🌎🙏🧩

With love and hope,
Shawn

Because the Kids Are Watching: A Lesson in Leading by Example

One story from our trip to Berlin that I never shared but holds such a deep, profound place in my heart - and I believe is valuable for others to hear- begins during one of our shakeout runs a couple of days before the marathon.

I was running along the streets of Berlin with my teammates. As we ran along, I realized after a few blocks that something was different.

Every time we got to a corner and the light was red for us to cross, everyone was standing there. Yet we looked both ways, and if it was clear, we would run across the road.

This happened a few times before I realized the people in Germany didn’t cross the roads. They obeyed the traffic signs.

And I realized as an American, I grew to see the sign as optional, not the rule.

This was humbling to me to see I wasn’t obeying and honoring their rules.

On one of our last nights in Berlin, I shared this story with a relative who lives there. She shared that she did this once and ended up having a police officer approach her. He asked her if she understood why he stopped her. And she said she knew why because she crossed the road when the light said not to.

Then he asked why it matters that she follow the rules.

And then what he said is why I share this story.

“Because the kids are watching.”

These words have remained with me since September and will remain with me always.

Why?

Because our choices matter. Not just for ourselves but for our kids and future generations.

We are to lead them well, set the example of what is good, right, honoring, and acceptable. And when we fall short, we are to humble ourselves to take responsibility for our wrongs so that our kids learn to do that too.

Imagine what a difference this would make in our homes, communities, and world if we made choices that honored God while taking seriously the fact that our kids are watching.

We can’t change if other people live this way, yet we can choose to live this way ourselves. It won’t always be easy, but it will be what’s right.

I share this with you to invite you to join me to…

pause. breathe. pray.

May we remember our kids are watching. They are listening. May we take this to heart and choose to live in a way that leads them well and exemplifies the character of Christ, such as love, compassion, humility, and selflessness.

With love and hope,

Shawn

“Set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” - 1 Timothy 4:12