Today, Ross and I are opening our hands to share from all we’ve been given.
And when you take what you’ve been given—the bread-and-fish lunch your mom packed for you, or your intelligence, or your love for those on the world’s margins—Jesus can work with that.
Janelle is a writer. That’s her day job. Over the last few years, Janelle has offered her pen, pencil, and keyboard to God. She helps high school students, who will be the first people in their family to attend college, write great essays for their college applications. She uses the skill God gave her.
Tanya loves growing vegetables. She is partnering with a ministry that serves people with and without disabilities. A lot of those folks struggle to find meaningful work. So Tanya is working with others to create a local urban farming business that can provide employment for people without work. She uses the passion God gave her.
Aliya speaks Arabic. Her church is building a friendship with a family that recently immigrated from Syria. The family has a twelve-year-old son who’s struggling to learn English and do well in school. Twice a week, Aliya visits his house and helps him with his homework. She uses the gift God gave her.
I hope you’re hearing what remarkable things God can do with the gifts he’s given you. Whether that’s engineering or pottery or sewing or mathematics, as you offer your gift—like the little boy with the lunch—God can bless others through you.
As you consider your next steps—whether that’s choosing a college, deciding on a major, weighing grad school, or finding your first job—I want you to keep your hands open before God.
When you return to God what he’s giving to you, there’s nothing you can’t accomplish.
RIGHT ON TRACK CHALLENGE
As long as you’re on this earth, God has good work for you to do. What do you sense that you’re being called to do next?
•Are you able to see which steps come next in your journey?
•Is there a natural progression from what you’re doing right now?
•Is there something on the horizon that’s completely new for you?
•Who’s by your side to help you discern what’s next?
Though none of us can see what the future holds, I’m confident there is good in store for you. What will help you keep a posture of openness for what God has next for you?
EPILOGUE
As you think about running your race, one that’s right on track for you, it’s my hope and prayer that you heard two things.
First, I hope you heard that you were made for great things.
You have been fearfully and wonderfully made like no one else who’s ever lived or ever will. You’re valuable. You’re precious. You’re not here by chance. You’ve been designed to do something that no one else can do.
Maybe you’ll string together words that no one else but you could write. Or you’ll sing songs that only you can sing. Perhaps God will use your unique combination of intelligence and ingenuity in a laboratory, a classroom, a startup, or a television studio. Maybe God will use your unique capacity for love to serve the homeless, to lobby for justice in a courtroom, or to empower children to reach their own dreams. The possibilities of ways you will make your mark on God’s world are endless. And although I can’t begin to imagine the details of what living your unique calling will look like, I am certain you have been designed to live a life that is truly amazing and full.
Like me, you were made for great things.
Secondly, I want you to hear that success can never be measured by applause, endorsements, ribbons, or gold medals. Eventually, the applause grows dim. Endorsements end. Ribbons decay. Medals tarnish.
God inspired me to work hard and I’m incredibly grateful for all the opportunities I had. I wouldn’t trade them for anything. And I’m proud of the way I ran my race—that I did it my way and with integrity. But while I’m grateful I won gold in London, I didn’t need that win to validate who I am on the inside, who I am at my core. I didn’t need that accolade to feel like a whole human being.
What makes me valuable and worthy, and what makes you valuable and worthy, is that we’re children of God. I hope you can hear that as more than a cliché. Sometimes we’re willing to believe that God loves the world (John 3:16) but we’re less willing to believe that God loves us. God loves me. God loves you. God loves you so much that he sent his Son to die for you. That’s big love. God loves you personally and knows every hair on your head. You are immeasurably precious to him.
When I think back on the best moments of my career, the applause and endorsements, the ribbons and medals weren’t the things that mattered. What mattered was the coach who believed in me. What mattered was a family who walked beside me through thick and thin. What mattered was the moment I got to kiss Ross during my Olympic victory lap. What mattered were the people.
I hope you’ve had people in your life, as I did, who have been reflections of God’s own love. But even if those folks were few and far between, you can still experience the reality of God’s love as it flows through you to others. I believe that we have been put on this earth to serve others. And it’s up to each one of us to figure out how that will look. You will find joy, peace, and satisfaction as you give yourself to loving others.
This past Sunday in church, my pastor said, “As a child of God, you’re already living life from a place of victory.”
Can you hear the good news in that? The race has already been won.
I can give you a tiny glimpse of what that’s looked like for me. I went into the Games in London pretending like I’d already won. While that might sound crazy, it was actually pretty awesome. I was more joyful. I was less anxious. I was light and free. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? That’s what it means to live from a place of victory, and that’s the gift we have in living as children of God. Christ has already won on our behalf. The results have been posted on the board and we share in his victory.
That changes everything.
When you run your race like you’ve already won, you can be more joyful. You can feel less anxious. You can walk through your unique, precious life as someone who’s light and free. You don’t get tripped up by small things because, at the end of the day, you’re standing on the podium with your heavenly Father.
Living out your purpose in love, receiving God’s love for you and sharing that love with others, is when you’ll be truly happy and successful.
Live in victory,
Sanya
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
God
I’ve always felt your presence and the tugging on my heart to share the good news with others. My first platform was on the track, using my talent and resolve as best I could to inspire. Now you’ve blessed me with this incredible opportunity to share my message through the pages of Right on Track. I’ve prayed throughout this entire process, I hope I’ve made you proud, and I pray this touches the lives of many.
Family & Loved Ones
Hubby: You are the greatest image of love and humility I have in my life. You teach me every day how to be a better person. You bring out the best in me. Thank you for always being in my corner and supporting me in everything I do. I stand tall because you prop me up. I love you . . . always and forever!
Dad: You’re always there! It doesn’t matter if the call comes at 1:00 a.m. or practice at 9:00 p.m. You’re always ready and eager to help me fulfill my passions. No process feels complete without your stamp of approval or your encouraging words. Thanks for your willingness to help me make this book a reality.
Mom: Thanks for reading every page with me, for jogging my memory and providing the supplements that no one else could! You have an ear and a heart that knows no bounds. This book is everything I wanted because of your guidance. I love you!
Shari: Even with your newborn son, you made time to listen to all my chapter ideas and attend my family book review sessions. You always make time for me and make space in your heart for my dreams. I love you and appreciate you more than you know.
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br /> Margot: You were so easy to work with. Thank you for making every effort to understand my goals for this book and making it come to life. I am so proud of the messages and the lessons we share in Right on Track. Your open heart and warm spirit made this experience unforgettable. Can’t thank you enough.
My Team
To Carolyn, Jillian, Jacque, Marcus, and the entire Zondervan team, as well as David, Lowell, and Lis at CAA; thank you for believing in me and allowing me to publish this book! Love you guys so much!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FOR
RIGHT ON TRACK
1.Sanya explains how trying new things—even things she wasn’t very good at—helped her build confidence and exercise courage. What are a few things you can try to stretch yourself to new limits? In what ways do fear, awkwardness, and insecurity hold you back?
2.How have Sanya’s obstacles shaped her mindset today? Think about how you have dealt with obstacles like that in your life. How have these obstacles impacted your life in both the short term and long term?
3.“When I was nine, a setback propelled me to victory on the track. When I was twenty-nine, a setback propelled me to success off the track” (pg.). What is the difference between victory and success?
4.In what ways can you balance being you and being like the people you admire? How has Sanya accomplished this?
5.How does Sanya suggest facing changes that we choose? What about when changes choose us? What is the difference?
6.Sanya’s faith is the anchor that centers her in the ways that matter most. What identities define you?
7.What strategies does Sanya suggest to rise above negativity? In the face of defeat or challenges, how can you remind yourself to hold your head high and walk with dignity?
8.Think of the people who are in your cheering section. In what ways have these people impacted your life’s journey? How can you cheer these people on?
9.Sanya encourages you to take a victory lap—to relish your own successes. What milestones in your life can you celebrate?
10.What gifts have you been given that you can use to help others flourish?
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