Tag: Blessings

Why A Christian?

I am a Christian. A lot of my family and and friends are Christians. There are 2.18 billion Christians worldwide. That is a lot of people. But why do so many people call themselves a Christian? Have you ever spent time asking yourself that question? I think it’s a pretty important question to not only ponder, but to have an answer. Here is a little of my story answering this very important question.

I grew up in a home where everyone believed in God. We were taught to treat people with respect. To love our neighbors. And don’t you ever take the Lord’s name in vain. But we did not attend church on a regular basis. Not that my parents had anything against church. We just did not make it a priority. My brother and I were baptized at the local Baptist Church as children. I considered myself a Christian at that time, but could really not tell you why. That started changing in 1985.

I graduated from Twin Lakes High School in 1984. Yes, I am that old. After high school, I was not really sure what I wanted for the rest of my life. Then in 1985, a group of cheerleaders from my old high school were involved in a terrible car accident on their way home from a competition. Several were injured and one young lady was tragically killed. I did not know this young lady very well, but I knew her. Her father was actually one of my middle school teachers. We called it Junior High back in the day. That accident rocked a lot of people. Including myself. At Debbie’s funeral several people shared how short life was and how were we choosing to live it. I walked away from that funeral with a lot of questions. How was I living my life? Was my life making a difference?

Several months later, I truly accepted Jesus into my life and was baptized. I wish I could tell you that I turned away from my old life and everything was full of sunshine from that day on. Sadly that was not the case. For several years, I walked in between my old life and my new life in Jesus. Then one of the greatest things in my life happened. My parents moved away from West Palm Beach, FL. Wait. What?

In 1988, my parents house was bought by the airport and they decided to move away from West Palm Beach. At the time, I was attending Palm Beach Atlantic University and living at home. With my parents moving, I decided to move on campus. A life changing decision. I was blessed to have some great roommates in Tim Tate, Ben Starling, Pedro Linares and Bruce Speers. They were patient with this young guy who had a lot of questions about faith. Besides my roommates, Tim Moffett Jennifer Vaughn, Julie Tyler and Babs Tate decided to pour life into me. Never any judgement. Just a lot of understanding and a bunch of grace. It was during that year that I fully surrendered my whole life to Jesus. I have been far from perfect since making that decision, but I have continued to seek after Jesus.

Today as I walk through this crazy beautiful health journey, I am grateful for those people who built into me all those years ago. They helped me become the person God created me to be. Thank you.

Because I saw firsthand people living out their faith and sharing it with me. Because I have seen God use a broken person (me), to help encourage many as I walk through this crazy beautiful health journey. The only answer I have for any of that is Jesus. That is why I am a Christian. ~OC

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Purpose In The Suffering

Who wants to go through life without any pain or suffering? I think most of us would sign up for that life. Nobody wants to suffer or see a loved one suffer. Unfortunately, as long as we have breath in our lungs we are going to deal with some type of suffering. Thanks for that reminder Todd. Sorry. Just sharing some real truth. Since suffering is part of life, can we find purpose in the suffering?

I do not believe our suffering is random. I believe every storm we face in life has purpose. Sometimes that purpose takes time to reveal itself. But as a Christian, it brings me comfort that even Jesus suffered. He suffered for us. The purpose behind Jesus suffering was to take our sins. Think about that for a moment. Jesus came to earth knowing His purpose was to die for our sins. That wrecks me every time I take the time to truly reflect on that ultimate sacrifice.

At the beginning of my crazy beautiful health journey almost 18 years ago, I did not see the purpose for my pain. All I saw and felt was the pain. The uncertainty. I definitely did not see any purpose. How could God take my pain and turn it into a crazy beautiful journey? I was about to find out.

As some of you know,  I spend a lot of time at medical appointments and plenty of time in the hospital. When my crazy beautiful health journey started almost eighteen years ago, those appointments and hospital stays were an annoyance. I definitely did not see the purpose early on. But as I started talking with fellow patients and listening to their stories, I began to see the purpose behind all those appointments. When people are scared and dealing with a life changing diagnosis, they just want to talk with someone who can relate to their story. Enter Todd “OC” Shoemaker. I know a little about dealing with life changing diagnosis. I do not say that to put the spotlight on me. Believe me, I never wanted to be in this position. I was happy with my life before I started walking this health journey. But here I am almost eighteen years later and I would not change a thing. It has been my honor to walk beside countless individuals as they started their own crazy beautiful health journey. Some were already friends before they started their journey, but so many strangers have become friends during the journey. I have rejoiced with friends as they celebrated a positive report from their doctor. I have held the hands of many as they faced the end of their journey.

I continue to be overwhelmed that God has allowed me to walk this journey for almost eighteen years and counting. I am humbled that God gave me purpose in my crazy beautiful journey. I am thankful that I listened to God and decided to embrace the purpose for my pain.

I do not know what pain you are dealing with today. Maybe the storm you are facing seems overwhelming. You wonder how there could be any purpose in your current circumstances. I get it. I have been right where your standing. Confused. Angry. Overwhelmed. Lost.  I have walked through everyone of those emotions. But please believe me, there is purpose in the pain. It might take time to find it, but if you will hold on and seek God’s direction you will find the purpose for your suffering. And when you find that purpose, life will never be the same. I promise. ~OC

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Dear Todd,

This blog post is a letter to my younger self. To that younger me, when my crazy beautiful health journey started. You are welcome to join me on this journey.

Dear 2002 Todd,

Hello 2002 version of myself. You are about to start a crazy beautiful journey. Today, you cannot see the beauty. At this moment, you are in shock. You and your bride are trying to process everything the doctors have told you. Did that doctor really say I could be in a wheelchair in five years? Or worse. How could this be happening? So many questions. You are definitely not seeing the beauty at that moment. But hold on. The journey is just starting. You have no clue what a journey it will be. That is a good thing. You would not be able to handle it. Your life is going to change dramatically the next 17 years. Yes, 17 years. And counting. Just a quick side note. Everything is going to be okay. I promise.

Yes, the journey will be a long one. But hey, it’s 2019 and your still not in a wheelchair or worse. Oh by the way, you and Laura also fired that doctor. You two will get pretty good at being patient advocates. And not just for yourself. That will be one of the blessings birthed out of your journey. Believe me, you are going to add a lot of job titles to your resume the next 17 years. You will also become a Runner, Abolitionist, Missionary and a Speaker. Just to let you know, you will not be paid financially for any of those titles. Those will all be passion projects. And guess what? You will love it! But in 2002, you cannot even imagine how God could use your journey. That is a good thing. You would be overwhelmed by it all. At this moment, you are just trying to get back to a normal life. You will experience many “new normals” along this journey. Those will be tough to understand, but God will walk you through it. You and God are going to have some amazing conversations at 1am over the next 17 years. You might not appreciate those 1am discussions at first, but you will come to cherish them. I promise.

Hey 2002 Me, this journey is not going to be easy. Your body is going to be beat up beyond what a person can take. But remember you serve a God who is bigger than any storm you will face. There will be times you will doubt that, but God will still be faithful. I promise He will never leave or forsake you. In those dark moments you will face over the next 17 years, God will constantly remind you of His loving presence. Remember those 1am conversations with God I told you about? Those conversations will help you get through those dark moments.

I am going to let you in on a little secret. During this crazy beautiful journey, you are going to be blown away by your bride. Laura is going to become a total rockstar. You have no idea how strong she is. But believe me, you will be blown away by her strength and love for you. Do not ever take her for granted. Do your best to love her well. Your marriage will become stronger during this journey. You will see other relationships crumble under the pressure of health issues. So make sure to thank God for your bride every morning.

The 2002 version of yourself, is also going to be blown away by the friends that are going to walk beside you during this journey. You have no clue how loved you are. I am not joking. There will be multiple times over the next 17 years, you will face death. During those moments, you will have people from around the world praying for you. You will have so many friends surrounding you and Laura during this journey. You will learn the meaning of true friendship along this journey. Sometimes those lessons will be hard because some of your friends will walk away during the journey. Don’t worry, God will help you during those tough moments.

During your journey, God is going to bless you with a beautiful medical team. They will become like family. They will save your life on more than one occasion. Make sure you always treat them with love and respect. Because you will learn first hand how hard they work.

You cannot see it now, but there is going to be this thing called Social Media that will explode upon the scene. You will reject it at first. A lot of people will. But you will come to embrace it. You will not only embrace it, you will use it to tell your story and encourage others. Oh yeah, your story. Let us talk about that.

You will go from not wanting anyone knowing about your health issues, to sharing your story with the world. Guess what? You and Laura will even write a book about your journey. I know! You of all people will write a book. And your mom will not be the only person buying a copy. Your story is going to encourage so many people. Promise me you will never think the story is about you. Make sure you always give God all the praise and glory. Promise.

There will definitely be some sad moments along the way. You and Laura will both lose a parent during this journey. I promise God will get you through those tough moments. I pray you take the time to properly grieve during those times. Do not be afraid to asked for help when needed.

There will be some amazing moments during your crazy beautiful journey. You and Laura will decide to truly embrace each day. You will learn to love well. You will learn to think outside of the box. You will be forced to step out of your comfort zone more than once. You and Laura will take adventures that you are only dreaming about right now. You will be given the incredible gift of truly thriving in life.

Dear 2002 Todd, this journey will not be easy. Part of me is sorry about everything  you will face the next 17 years. But a bigger part of me is so excited to see everything you are going to experience. The person you will become. Do not get comfortable with the 2002 version of yourself. In the next 17 years, you will not recognize him. And that is a good thing. I promise all the pain and loss is going to be worth it. Just keep your eyes on God and see what He is going to do. Plus you are going to get some really cool nicknames. Enjoy the ride!!!

Finish Strong,

Todd “OC” Shoemaker 2019

 

 

 

 

 

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The Gift of Brokenness

Sometimes I feel broken.

There are times I look at my life and see all the ways I fall short. Maybe it was my negative attitude or words that negatively affected someone else.

There are so many ways to feel broken- physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. In the middle of our brokenness, it’s easy to agonize over whether or not we can ever be acceptable to God or be used by Him during our brokenness. I know I struggle with this sometimes.

During this crazy beautiful health journey, God has taught me a valuable lesson about being broken.

Our brokenness is a gift. A gift? Yes, a gift because our brokenness connects us to other people walking through their own brokenness. A gift because our brokenness brings us closer to God. It is during our brokenness that God makes us whole.

Sharing our brokenness brings meaning and healing to our crazy beautiful journey.

Blessings happen during the brokenness. As I have shared my health journey with others, people have reached out to me and shared how my journey has helped them walk through their own crazy beautiful journey. It has been a blessing to see God move through my brokenness.

Being broken is a gift, because through our brokenness we recognize our need for God. Because only through God can our broken life be made whole.

I am so grateful for the gift of being broken. During my brokenness God has continued to love me and use me in spite of my brokenness. What a gift.

My prayer for you is that during your brokenness, you will look to God and allow Him to use you during this time. I pray you will find the gift of brokenness as God puts your broken pieces back together. ~OC

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Another Blessing In The Road

Over the years when I have faced another medical trial, I have stated “It’s just another bump in the road.” Yesterday, God changed my mindset. He shared with me that instead of looking at my current situation as another bump in the road, I should instead look at my health challenges as another blessing in the road. Pretty mind blowing. I also believe it could be a life changing way of looking at our circumstances. With every “Bump in the Road” has come a blessing. Let me share some examples.

*A Missionary. During my crazy beautiful health journey, God has allowed me to become a missionary at doctors appointments and hospital stays. God has blessed me with the incredible opportunity to encourage others during those visits.

*My Voice. Based on my health issues, I have lost my physical voice. I speak with a whisper these days. I use a voice amplifier to help me speak. But during this time, God has blessed me with the opportunity to speak out loudly against human trafficking, racism and other important issues.

*Listen. During this crazy beautiful journey, God has helped me become a better listener. I always thought I was a good listener until I got sick. It was then that I realized, I tended to listen so I could respond. So I could fix things. During this journey, God has blessed me with the incredible opportunity to just listen. Not to be the fixer. Not to share my opinion. Just to listen.

*Extra Weight. When I got sick again in 2009, I was prescribed the highest dose of prednisone (a steroid), that you can take. I put on a ton of weight in a short period of time. I went from my running weight of 150 to over 200 pounds in less than six months. All the weight went straight to my stomach. Based on the fact I could no longer run or exercise, it was difficult to take weight off. It was very frustrating. Then in 2014, I started losing my appetite. Then from the middle of 2016 to the first of 2017, I lost 90 pounds. Yes, you read that correctly. 90 pounds! That is when I had my feeding tube inserted. That extra weight saved my life. A bump in the road turned into a life saving blessing in the road.

*A Book. In March of this year, my memoir The Blessed Overcomer was published. If not for this “bump in the road”, I would have never written a book. You can find my book on Amazon or you can contact me about getting a signed copy. A little shameless plug.

*This Blog. Once again, if not for this crazy beautiful health journey there is no blog. I do not have a huge following and probably never will, but that was never the point. I am thankful for everyone who drops by and checks out my blog. Writing my thoughts down has been very cathartic. A wonderful blessing.

As I reflect on my crazy beautiful health journey, I have so many Blessings In The Road moments. It took God changing my mindset to realize this amazing truth. ~OC

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God’s Presence

Dear God, thank you for your presence during my crazy beautiful health journey. You have walked with me each step of the way. You have blessed me with your guidance and strength. You have never left or forsaken me.

As I wrote the words above, I thought about my family and friends walking through their own journey. Dear God, I pray you would remind them that even during the darkest moments, you are with them. That you are gracious and good, and that no detail escapes your control. Dear God, give them the strength to seek you during the darkest days. Give them the strength to pray when the storm seems overwhelming. Give them the strength to praise You during the storm. Give them the strength to celebrate You during the victories.

Dear God, I know you see my family and friends that are hurting. I pray you would remind them that you’ve not forgotten them. I pray they would feel your presence. Thank you. ~OC

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Thankful And Grateful

Thank God throughout this crazy beautiful journey called Life. A thankful attitude opens the windows of heaven. A thankful heart opens our hearts to God’s Presence. I am thankful and grateful for the many blessings and lessons learned during my own journey. ~OC

I will give thanks to God with everything I’ve got. God’s works are so great, worth a lifetime of study- endless enjoyment! Splendor and beauty mark his craft. His generosity never gives out. His mercies are His memorial. This God of Grace. This God of Love ~Psalm 111:1-5

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Love This Photo

I love this photo a dear friend sent me. I am thankful for the amazing people God has surrounded me with during this crazy beautiful journey. ~OC

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Encourage Others

I love encouraging everyone around me. Each morning I pray God will bring people my way that need some encouragement. Here are a few easy ways we can encourage others.

Pray for other.

Call a loved one.

Share words of encouragement.

Pay for someone’s meal.

Send someone a card or letter.

Leave your spouse or roommate a post-it note with some encouraging words.

Be patient with the clerk at the grocery store. Share a kind encouraging word with them.

Share a smile.

Encourage your coworkers.

Share a hug (Be appropriate).

Spend some quality time with family and friends.

Take your neighbors garbage can to the curb or return the empty garbage can.

Send a positive text to a loved one or friend.

Tell your boss, coworkers, employees, pastors and friends that you appreciate them.

Always say Thank You.

Be quick to listen and slow to speak.

Recognize others and their accomplishments. Celebrate them.

Turn your cell phone off when visiting with family and friends.

Be a positive and encouraging person.

Don’t always talk about yourself.

These are just a few ways to encourage others. Find ways to encourage those around you. ~OC

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Grateful For True Friendships

Today’s a new day! True friendship is not about being there when it’s convenient; it’s about being there when it’s not. I am grateful for the true friends who continue stick by me during this crazy beautiful health journey. ~OC

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