Free to Fly Again

In the summer of 2021, Simone Biles stood on the world's biggest stage at the Tokyo Olympics — and walked away. Midway through competition, the greatest gymnast in history withdrew from multiple events, struck by what gymnasts call "the twisties," a terrifying loss of spatial awareness while spinning through the air. The world was watching. Some called it courage. Others called it quitting.

For nearly three years, Biles stepped back from elite competition. She went to therapy. She confronted the abuse she had suffered. She untangled her identity from the scoreboard. And then, in Paris in 2024, at twenty-seven years old, she returned and won three gold medals and a silver.

But here is what matters most: the Simone Biles who flew through the air in Paris was freer than the one who had dominated in Rio. She was no longer performing to prove her worth. She was competing from a place of wholeness.

Paul wrote, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free" (Galatians 5:1). Notice — freedom is not the absence of pressure. Biles still competed before millions. Freedom is knowing who you are and Whose you are so thoroughly that no arena, no critic, and no expectation can own you.

Some of you are performing for an audience the Almighty never asked you to please. He did not set you free so you could carry someone else's scoreboard. He set you free to fly.