shtanga
02-06-2006, 02:13 PM
Shawn, you were the ultimate bachelor. When did you switch from your wild ways to a new lifestyle?
I think when you start to understand the true meaning of marriage and commitment. There is no "I" in We. Once you decide to take this responsibility on, it is easy for your old ways to catch up with you somewhere down the road if you act like your Single. So there are changes that you have to make in order to make your marriage a success. That is when my wife and I decided to get involved with a church - and learn how to be good, faithful servants. Here is where I am learning how to be a good husband, good person and a good friend. So it was like going back to school for me because I was not brought up in the church, and I was not brought up reading the bible.
I was Catholic, but very rarely even opened up the bible growing up and kind of followed the rest of the kids. I have been going to Church learning how to be a Christian with an instruction manual called the Holy Bible on how to live in eternity with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To me, my faith is now sustaining our relationship. To be the head of my household and to know what it is like to have the written word of God instructing and directing my life, to me, that is something I didn't have as a bodybuilder. I didn't have that when I was a bachelor - I lived according to Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulations.
So what was Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulation?
Well, I didn't let a lot of people in. As far as I was concerned, I was a good person, because I was disciplined in my job, I was disciplined in my health, I didn't abuse my body, and I felt like it was me against the world. My mentality was 'Don't let them take from you what you worked so hard to get. Therefore, I didn't allow myself to have a lot of friends in this industry. I didn't allow myself to feel love. I didn't allow people to come in and take, so I was perceived as a taker because I wasn't giving. I think I was perceived as somebody that was out for himself, which in this industry and most professional sports we are. I began Bodybuilding for me, Shawn Ray not for my friends or the fans. It is a sport of vanity and insanity mixed together. Anybody that tries to say that they are not involved in this business for themselves is lying because as a competitor, our job is to take from everybody else and stop them from beating you. You get as much as you can by working your butt off!
When I got out of that lifestyle, I realized that I was in a kind of spiritual warfare and I needed to make some life altering adjustments here to assimilate back into society. To me, I was at war from the inside out! I was at war with the other competitors, I was at war with the federation, I was at war with my physique, I was at war with the demons inside of me and the temptations of food, partying and women, relationships. When I decided to stop competing, there were people who helped me direct my soul into an area where I knew the Holy Spirit was working on me and my salvation. My eternity would be determined by where my heart was when I leave this planet. For me, when I walked away from the stage that was front and center in my life! I feel like I needed to go through Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulations to get to where I am now. I understand why I had to go through the things I did in order to understand the saving grace of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and forgave me.
I think when you start to understand the true meaning of marriage and commitment. There is no "I" in We. Once you decide to take this responsibility on, it is easy for your old ways to catch up with you somewhere down the road if you act like your Single. So there are changes that you have to make in order to make your marriage a success. That is when my wife and I decided to get involved with a church - and learn how to be good, faithful servants. Here is where I am learning how to be a good husband, good person and a good friend. So it was like going back to school for me because I was not brought up in the church, and I was not brought up reading the bible.
I was Catholic, but very rarely even opened up the bible growing up and kind of followed the rest of the kids. I have been going to Church learning how to be a Christian with an instruction manual called the Holy Bible on how to live in eternity with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To me, my faith is now sustaining our relationship. To be the head of my household and to know what it is like to have the written word of God instructing and directing my life, to me, that is something I didn't have as a bodybuilder. I didn't have that when I was a bachelor - I lived according to Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulations.
So what was Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulation?
Well, I didn't let a lot of people in. As far as I was concerned, I was a good person, because I was disciplined in my job, I was disciplined in my health, I didn't abuse my body, and I felt like it was me against the world. My mentality was 'Don't let them take from you what you worked so hard to get. Therefore, I didn't allow myself to have a lot of friends in this industry. I didn't allow myself to feel love. I didn't allow people to come in and take, so I was perceived as a taker because I wasn't giving. I think I was perceived as somebody that was out for himself, which in this industry and most professional sports we are. I began Bodybuilding for me, Shawn Ray not for my friends or the fans. It is a sport of vanity and insanity mixed together. Anybody that tries to say that they are not involved in this business for themselves is lying because as a competitor, our job is to take from everybody else and stop them from beating you. You get as much as you can by working your butt off!
When I got out of that lifestyle, I realized that I was in a kind of spiritual warfare and I needed to make some life altering adjustments here to assimilate back into society. To me, I was at war from the inside out! I was at war with the other competitors, I was at war with the federation, I was at war with my physique, I was at war with the demons inside of me and the temptations of food, partying and women, relationships. When I decided to stop competing, there were people who helped me direct my soul into an area where I knew the Holy Spirit was working on me and my salvation. My eternity would be determined by where my heart was when I leave this planet. For me, when I walked away from the stage that was front and center in my life! I feel like I needed to go through Shawn Ray's Rules & Regulations to get to where I am now. I understand why I had to go through the things I did in order to understand the saving grace of Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins and forgave me.