Olympic Track Star Wants You to Find Freedom in Christ Just Like She Did
By Movieguide® Contributor
Olympian and world record holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone battled fear before she learned to give it to God. Now she’s sharing how you can do that too.
“Do you ever feel as if you’re being chased by fear and anxiety? I’d like to share some lessons I’ve learned in my faith journey, lessons I’ve framed through verses from Proverbs,” McLaughlin-Levrone wrote. “I hope they will help bring you the peace, freedom and joy they’ve brought me.”
Lesson 1: “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.” (Proverbs 29:25)
McLaughlin-Levrone grew up racing different events all her life, but one day she admitted to her father that she was afraid to lose.
She explained that the fear told her “If you can’t be perfect, why even try?”
“Blessings can become burdens if you let fear control you,” she added. “Had I known then what I know now — that I should have looked to the Lord, not other people, for meaning and purpose — I would have run for the pleasure of running. Competed for the joy of competition. Honored God for the gift he had given me: the gift of speed.”
Lesson 2: “Know that wisdom is such to your soul; if you find it, there will be a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” (Proverbs 24:14)
As McLaughlin-Levrone reflects on her life, she recognizes that she looked to track, her parents, an old boyfriend and other things to fill the void in her heart. The track star finally felt peace when she realized God was the only one who could fill that emptiness.
“I started going to church again,” she revealed. “Later, when I studied the Bible, this verse from Proverbs made so much sense. The author likens wisdom to honey. Wisdom lets you take bitter experiences and find the sweetness, the good, in them. Setbacks don’t derail you because you know that God has a future for you.”
Lesson 3: “Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22)
With the help of several different coaches and her now husband, Andre, MacLaughlin-Levrone excelled in her sport, overcoming several roadblocks, which deepened her relationship with the Lord.
“I did go on to experience glorious growth in my career and, more important, in my faith,” she said. “None of that would have happened if I hadn’t trusted the advisers God put in my life.”
Lesson 4: “Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.” (Proverbs 16:3)
In 2021, McLaughlin-Levrone realized she was compartmentalizing faith, family, track and relationships.
“The Lord wanted every part of me. He wanted my hopes and ambitions and my insecurities and anxieties. Everything,” she explained.
“As Proverbs 16:3 says, when you offer everything you do to the Lord, he will bring it to fruition. In his way and in his time,” she added.
Lesson 5: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
“God had delivered me from fear, replacing it with faith,” McLaughlin-Levrone concluded. “Faith that if I used the gift he’d given me to the best of my ability, win or lose, I would glorify him. In racing and in life, God gives you exactly what you need to run the race he has for you.”
The track star is gearing up for her Olympic races which will start on Aug. 4 with the first round of the women’s 400m Hurdles.
“In June this year at the United States Olympic Trials, McLaughlin-Levrone finished with a time of 50.65s, her latest world record run, the fifth time she’s done so,” the Independent reported.
“Normally I have a lot to say, but today all I can say is how grateful I am. Thank you Jesus,” she posted after the event.
Movieguide® previously reported:
With a time of 50.65 seconds, the athlete will now compete in the 400M hurdle event at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
This is the “fifth world record she has broken in three years. She was also the first woman to break the 52- and 51-second marks in the 400-meter hurdles,” Bleacher Report wrote.
After the race, McLaughlin-Levrone was shocked by her performance. The only thing she could do was give the glory back to God.
“Honestly, praise God! I was not expecting that but He can do anything. Anything is possible in Christ. So, yeah, I’m just amazed, baffled and in shock,” McLaughlin-Levrone said when asked what went through her mind as she broke another world record.
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