As I reflect on last Sunday, I have such gratitude for @bravelikegabe and this incredible opportunity. It was such a gift to be on this wonderful team and to help my ACC family. The experience also helped me personally in so many ways. There are many lessons this experience taught me, including to speak life to yourself.
One day on a run I said something to myself that I had never said before. It happened on a run about half way through my training.
I was running along the trail and heard myself saying “good job, Shawn, I am proud of you.”
This moment caused me to pause.
I am a very outwardly encouraging person yet my inner dialogue towards myself hasn’t always matched what I would say to others.
Yet through my training I found my words being kinder and more encouraging towards myself which surprised me.
I share this with you today in case any of you aren’t as kind and encouraging to yourself as you are to others. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
I’m not saying you need to train for a marathon. I am saying that we need to be mindful of the words we speak to ourselves. Words have power. They can build up or tear down. God wants us to speak life to others, AND ourselves. Not in a prideful way but with a humble, grateful heart, acknowledging who He made us to be and the gifts and abilities He’s given us.
This week, let’s practice speaking words of life towards ourselves as we would to others. And by doing this may we experience greater contentment within, as I did that day on the trail, and through this wonderful couch to marathon journey.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Follow Where God Leads
What I thought I’d put on my car if I ever had one of these stickers and what I now get to put on my car. I share this as it’s not about the number of miles run but about the refinement of character within that happens in order to do the run.
Having never been a runner, I have grown much respect for runners, not for the physical ability but the mental fortitude it takes to do it.
I share this with you in case you find God leading you to a path that seems completely different from one you’d take and the goal seems insurmountable. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we follow where God leads trusting He will provide what we need. And in the process may we give thanks for the refinement within that takes place and helps us live stronger, from the inside out.
With love and hope,
Shawn
This is 46!
🥳This is 46🥳
And my birthday wish is this,
that we choose to…
…seek what is good.
…listen to one another.
…use our voices to build others up not tear down.
…be a helper.
…be a bridge to peace.
…be an anchor of hope.
…be a light in dark spaces.
…have more faith than fear.
…live out love above all else.
💕🙏🎂
With love and hope,
Shawn
A Glimpse of What Life Can Be
LINK TO LISTEN HERE
Peace is a Gift from God
One thing I have learned in life, especially through trying circumstances and facing unknowns, is that peace is never something I will access outside myself. Peace is a gift we receive within from God.
If I allow my outer circumstances to dictate my inner world, I get messy, as I shared with you in my last post. Yet when I choose to see my circumstances or the unknowns I face through a lens of faith I find I have more rest within when I trust that God can and will use all things for good in His time.
So as we meet this day, I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we not allow the circumstances of this day or the unknowns we face to dictate the posture of our internal world. Instead may we ask God for His peace to rule our hearts and minds so that He sets the thermostat within us, rather than allowing our external circumstances or unknowns to determine our temperature within. From experience, this isn’t a flick of a switch but a continued practice we can come back to. And over time, we will find that we are able to access the peace of God that transcends all understanding, no matter our circumstances or the unknowns we face.
Wishing you a peaceful day🙏
With love and hope,
Shawn
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus”
- Philippians 4:7
26.2 miles DONE!!! + Almost $17,000 raised!!!
26.2 miles done🙌 With your help I was able to raise $16,683 and our @bravelikegabe team raised $82,225 for rare cancer research💝
Thank you for all your support whether you cheered me on and/or donated🙏
And you know I need to make a life lesson out of everything so let me share this…
Wednesday night I had a full blown panic attack and told Stephen I was going to give my bib away. I raised the money and that was enough. Fear gripped my heart and I was ready to throw this experience away.
Yet I woke up on Thursday morning knowing I couldn’t let fear win the battle for my heart. I functioned in an anxious state leading up to that starting line. Literally taking each moment, one step at a time.
I share this with you because fear and anxiety are real, yet the thoughts we experience in those states are often not rooted in truth. They are projections of what may be but it doesn’t mean they will be.
It’s not easy to get through anxiety and panic, and I don’t want to pretend I have the answers for everyone’s experience. Yet for me, being present in the moment, going step by step, and inviting others in to let them know I’m not okay and their support helped me get to that starting line.
I share this with you because I know there are others who deal with anxiety and panic attacks too. They can be crippling and keep us from experiencing truth rooted thoughts and wonderful experiences. If you get what I mean, I’ll invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we be prayerful to let peace and truth rule our hearts and minds so that the fear doesn’t win. May we invite others in from loved ones to doctors, if we need it, to help us through. May we be present where we are and when our thoughts fast forward to what ifs, or the gloom of the unknown, may we reel our thoughts back in. And instead of focusing on the bad, may we practice focusing on what good there is. Let’s take things literally moment by moment, day by day, so that we get to experience things God has for us, and allow faith to win the battle for our hearts and minds, as I am so grateful won the battle for mine this week.
With love and hope,
Shawn
What if we can't? But what if we can?
Tomorrow as I run the NYC marathon for @bravelikegabe and my ACC family, I also am running for my core four, Stephen, Kate, Gavin and Matty.
These four have been pillars of strength, courage, compassion, comfort, resilience, hope and love in my life. To honor who they are in my life…
I am running for Stephen, my rock covered in laughter.
I am running for Kate, my sunshine and joy.
I am running for Gavin, my calm and peace.
I am running for Matthew, my fun-loving guy.
I love my core four with all my heart and their support and encouragement means the world. I pray they see that they too have it in them to try hard things and instead of saying “I can’t,” that they too will choose to say, “what if I can?”
If you too are meeting a challenge,
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we give thanks for those beside us and what they bring to our lives. Let’s allow ourselves to hold them in our hearts and minds to give us fuel in our souls as we meet our challenges, as these four will do for me tomorrow.
With love and hope,
Shawn
Last training run done💙🙌🏃🏻♀️
Last training run done💙🙌🏃🏻♀️ Now for Sunday🙏
As I started on the trail this morning, after I procrastinated for almost an hour, I noticed the fog on the trail ahead of me (second pic). This view made me think of the unknowns we meet in life.
As I ran into the fog I didn’t focus on what I couldn’t see ahead but on what I could see in front of me.
This was a reminder to me that God doesn’t wanting us looking too far ahead, but to be where our feet are and take one step at a time, including into the unknowns. Yes, we need to make our plans, yet may we allow God to direct our steps.*
As I came back from the run I turned around to see the trail from where I started and the fog had lifted (third pic). I could see more clearly the path now.
And so it is with life.
We often step into the foggy unknowns hesitantly as we are looking too far ahead. Yet if we take one step of faith at a time, we can move to and through the unknown. And when we look back, we often find that the fog is lifted, and we are able to see from the other side with greater clarity and perspective the path and what it took for us to get us through it.
I share this with you today in case you are facing a foggy unknown ahead, like I am with Sunday on the horizon. I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we take one step of faith forward at a time, even when we don’t see the “finish line.” May God’s Word be a light to our path and the meditation of our minds to help us through. And when we get to the other side, may we take a moment to look back and see what we’ve learned and how we’ve grown in the process. May we give thanks to God for helping us through and in time use what we’ve learned so that we can come beside others who walk parallel paths.
With love and hope,
Shawn
“your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” - Psalm 119:105
Second to last training run done
Second to last training run done💙🙌🎗️
Recently I asked for advice about the marathon from Gabe’s husband, Justin, who is an ultra runner. For one of his tips he quoted Gabe saying, “it’s okay to struggle but it’s not okay to give up.”
This advice brought tears to my eyes as it’s the heart of who Gabe was. She was a warrior with her running, and through her cancer journey. Her life blessed so many, and continues to. Her mission lives on through @bravelikegabe and her powerful words are applicable not just for running, but for life.
I’m sharing this with you today in case any of you needed to hear this message too.
I invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we acknowledge that the struggle on our hearts is real yet may we never give up. May we hold on to hope that will anchor our souls in those hard moments and even if we have to go slow, may we continue, one step forward at a time. And let’s be sure to lean into the circles of love around us for encouragement and support when we need it, like I will need to do on Sunday, and as I have had to do at others times in my life too.
With love and hope,
Shawn
The Other Side of the Struggle
My friend Laurie sent me this picture of these two moments; seven years ago when she was by my side during chemo and last week when we ran 20 miles together.
I teared up seeing these pictures side by side, thankful for my friend and to God for renewing my life and using my struggle for a greater purpose.
Seeing these pictures reminded me that when we can’t see the other side of the unknown or struggle, God does. And He will use all things for good…even though we may not get how He could.
I share this with you today because I know others are facing a struggle right now or an unknown. If that’s you, invite you to join me to…
pause. breathe. pray.
May we invite God into the struggle. Even though we may not see the other side as He does, may we trust that He will help us through and He will make good of all things, in time.
With love and hope,
Shawn
PS Thank you to all who have already donated to my @bravelikegabe fundraising page. If you haven’t yet and would like to, please visit link in my bio💙🙏🎗️
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.
- Romans 8:28