Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone finds similarities between her life and the key character of Disney Pixar’s Inside Out, Riley Anderson’s life. Well, Riley’s life was segmented into parts like “Family Island, Goofball Island, Hockey Island, Honesty Island, and Friendship Island.” As you can guess, the islands are the elements of life. Sydney’s life also has a similar structure, divided into the islands. However, the types of islands are unique in the athlete’s story. 

According to Sydney’s description in her book, Far Beyond Gold: Running from Fear to Faith, her life islands are “Relationship Island. Track Island. Friendship Island. Faith Island.” Her thought process claims the interconnected islands are signs of a thriving life. Unfortunately, Sydney claimed in her book her life wasn’t thriving because of the lack of connection between the islands. But, she praised her husband, Andre Levrone Jr.’s life story. Additionally, his faith island was superb, maintaining a key role in keeping up connection. But do you know that once this island faced the eyes of extinction?

Andre Levrone Jr. explains the event that once put him on a test 

On March 5, The Jinger & Jeremy Podcast uploaded a video on YouTube, featuring the hosts and the Levrone couple. The Levrones, however, remained genuine while discussing their lives in the podcast. In one such moment, Andre revealed a key moment that changed his view on faith. The key moment came when the retired professional footballer suffered from an injury in his college days. Thankfully, his team chaplain stood beside him to motivate him in those gloomy days.

In the next moment, Andre further disclosed his bonding with the chaplain: “I had a relationship with my team chaplain but in the midst of recovering from that injury, I fractured a vertebra in my back, so I was in the hospital for a few nights and our team chaplain would come every day.”

Those occasions opened the gate for Levrone, allowing him to have more chances to learn about his faith. From there, he didn’t have to look back. 

As per Andre’s comments on the podcast, the team chaplain used to come to his apartment later. So, the bond created during Andre’s gloomy period deepened later in his life. The two used to spend hours reading scriptures in Andre’s place. Gradually, it became a habit for Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s husband. But the habit also came with a prize.

In this aspect, the 29-year-old said, “We had a relationship before that but through that trial, our relationship grew tremendously, and from that, he asked me to take over our team’s Bible study.” That was a groundbreaking moment for the football player. He accepted the role wholeheartedly and soon everything around him started to change. 

Andre Levrone’s taking over the Bible group turned many listeners to the group. “It was like 15 guys now that would frequently come; our team would pray before and after games in a locker room, then on the 50-yard line, almost the full team,” he said. This environment became the new normal in his college team. Meanwhile, instances like praying together brought unity to the team and remained a reason behind the team’s success in college football matches.

The squad, however, made a habit of praying together, irrespective of the results of the matches. But in the meantime, Andre had a chance to explore his role. “God allowed my success on the field to give me a microphone or platform in our locker room to bear witness to what he’s done in my life and what he can do for all people,” he seemed satisfied.

But there was a moment when Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone had to question Andre’s faith. Isn’t that something serious? 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone experienced the fear stemming from her past 

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone has had her trust and belief in her husband, Andre Levrone Jr. Three years ago, they tied the knot, promising to stay with each other for a lifetime. But before their marriage, they had one shaky moment in their relationship. In those hours, Andre Levrone’s faith was questioned. How?

Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone penned those moments in her book. She wrote, “I appreciated his [Andre Levrone] honesty, but it made me uncomfortable. I had no idea how I was supposed to respond to it. We had only been getting to know each other for a little over a month. That night, as I reflected on my evening with Andre, I found myself struggling with fear. I was afraid of how vulnerable he was and what that would mean for me.”

And what led the couple to this? Andre’s confession to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone about his relationships. Those confessions forced Sydney to think about getting hurt again. For a moment, she started to feel that Andre would leave her. 

The mere thought of it rattled the Olympian. “The last breakup had nearly destroyed me. Now, here I was almost twelve months later, risking it all again, this time with a guy who seemed amazing,” she wrote in her book.

Fortunately, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s fear factor had never turned into reality. The couple survived every storm and, as we can see, they promise to spend more years in this lifetime.