Olympic Gymnast Leans On God After Miscarriage

In 2008, gymnast Shawn Johnson wowed the world with her incredible Olympic performance that won her a gold medal. She thought she would feel on top of the world and that she had finally found her purpose, but as she stood on that podium, Shawn felt completely purposeless. That’s when she turned to God and truly grew in her faith. She even shared her powerful testimony of that pivotal moment in time through an I Am Second video.

After the Olympics and retiring from gymnastics, Shawn went on to marry her husband, Andrew East. Andrew was a critically acclaimed college football player, but when he entered the NFL, he struggled to find his footing. “It’s taken me two years to fully realize that my worth is not in football.”

Thankfully, he was able to lean on Shawn to help him through the tough times of being cut and bouncing from team to team. Together, Andrew and Shawn share parts of their daily lives online through vlogs.

One day, while apart from her husband for work, Shawn had the feeling that she was pregnant. She took a test and confirmed that God had given this couple a miracle she feared might never be possible. ‘I told him in person and we both started bawling.’

Sadly, the very next day Shawn had a miscarriage and with that tragic incident came a lot of emotions and feelings of guilt. They decided to be open and honest and record a video for their subscribers. It immediately went viral and many people praised her willingness to speak up about this taboo topic.

This Christian couple leaned on God throughout and Shawn said it best when he said, “There’s no more encouraging words, there’s nothing that can really help you through a hard time than knowing the Scripture.” I’m so glad that this couple is sharing their journey and encouraging others to find strength in God.