Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever believed something about yourself for so long that you stopped questioning whether it was true?

Maybe the sentence sounds like:

I’m not smart enough.
I’ll never change.
I’m just a failure.
This is simply who I am.

In this episode of Shadows, I share how repeated struggles with college slowly became something more than disappointment. Failure became evidence, and eventually I accepted the identity of someone who simply wasn’t capable of moving forward.

For years, I worked, supported my family, and lived an ordinary life—but beneath it all, I had stopped asking what I might still become. That false identity eventually spread beyond education and contributed to a difficult season of depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.

Through therapy, renewed effort, scripture, and the tender mercies of God, I began learning an important truth:

Using the story of Gideon and Mormon’s teachings in Moroni 7, we explore the difference between spiritual correction that invites us toward Christ and shame that tells us there is no reason to keep trying.

This episode is for anyone who has ever allowed a failure, weakness, label, or difficult season to become a verdict about who they are.

Your story is not finished.

Content note: This episode includes a personal discussion of depression and past suicidal thoughts.

Scriptures and references

Judges 6:11–16 — Gideon sees himself as insignificant and unqualified, while the Lord calls him a “mighty man of valour” and promises to be with him.

Moroni 7:16–17 — Mormon teaches that the Spirit of Christ helps us discern good from evil and that influences which invite us to do good and believe in Christ come from God.

Additional study note: The “Spirit of Christ” referenced in Moroni 7 is also called the Light of Christ and is distinct from the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Send us Fan Mail

Have you ever worked hard at something good and quietly wondered, "Is any of this actually making a difference?"

Discouragement rarely tells us to quit overnight. Instead, it whispers that our efforts don't matter, that progress should be happening faster, or that we're wasting our time.

In this episode of From Hollow to Holy, Justin shares a personal struggle he is still walking through—not a story with a perfect ending, but one that explores what it means to keep moving forward when the outcome is still uncertain.

Through Galatians 6:9, we'll discover that weariness isn't always a sign we're on the wrong path. Sometimes it's simply part of faithfully walking the right one.

Because faith isn't believing the harvest is already here. Faith is planting another seed while the field still looks empty.

Send us Fan Mail

In Episode 6 of Shadows, Justin reflects on one of the quietest tactics we often fail to recognize: isolation.

Not the kind of isolation where we disappear from everyone around us—but the kind where we continue showing up, smiling, working, providing, and saying, "I'm fine," while quietly carrying burdens no one else can see.

Through personal experiences, honest reflection, and Christ's invitation in Matthew 11, this episode explores how isolation often begins with good intentions, but can slowly become a place where our burdens grow heavier than they were ever meant to be.

Maybe strength isn't carrying everything alone.

Maybe strength is trusting God—and the right people—with the weight you've been hiding.

Scripture referenced:

• Matthew 11:28–30

Reflection Question:

When did carrying it alone start feeling like strength?