In Winning Balance,
Shawn Johnson has written about her successes and failures in her life of
competing in the Olympics. Shawn started practicing gymnastics in a small town
in Iowa. The first gym coach she had told her mother that her daughter had no
talent in gymnastics. Eventually her mother decided to move her to another gymnasium.
Shawn stepped into the place she was intended to be. Chow became her new coach
and he began teaching her the proper way to handle and compete in gymnastic. Chow
was an influential gymnastic teacher in China before he formed his own gym in
America. God was directing both of their steps for His ultimate purpose to come
to pass. This book covered the entire journey that lead to her winning a gold
medal in the Beijing Olympics. She shared about her faith and how she remained
in balance throughout her life. She has had to struggle with injuries,
overcoming adversity, living a normal life, and life decisions. After the
Olympics, she even starred on Dancing
with the Stars and took home the championship trophy.
I would recommend this story to anyone who loves watching
the Olympics competitions. Even if you’re not fan of the Olympics you will
still benefit from reading this book. The book is a magnificent example of never
giving up on your dreams and settling for just enough in life. Working hard and
going after her dreams proved to help Shawn achieve her best life. Difficult
times may come but we have a decision to stop and quit or to keep pressing on. When
she competed in the Dancing with the Stars competition fear almost got the best
of her. A stalker came to the ABC studio and he crossed the fence but he was
apprehended. He was planning to kidnap Shawn and make her marry him. They found
a gun, a knife, a bulletproof vest, zip ties, and duct tape in his car. Reading
this part of the story, I could sense the fear that she was facing. There were
times she wanted to leave and quit the competition for her safety and
protection. Satan tried to cause her to give into fear and run but if she did
she wouldn’t have won the competition. She would have also let the stalker win
and control how she lived her life. I immensely enjoyed the section after each
chapter entitled, “Lesson I’ve Learned”. Living out these principles can change
your life. If you’re looking for an inspiration story then this one will
greatly encourage you.
Tyndale House Publishers/ Tyndale
Momentum has provided me with a
complimentary copy of this book.
If you would like to purchase a copy of Winning Balance check it out on Amazon.com:
Read Chapter One:
The Winning Balance book site:
The Winning Balance trailer:
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