| I always felt God was disappointed with me. I always felt guilty, inferior and unworthy all the time when it came to trying to please God. I knew my talent was from God and while on tour, I went to church every Sunday because I wanted to please Him, even though I always felt He was out there somewhere, I didn't know where!
I was just eleven years of age when Frank Sedgeman, a great Australian tennis player came to me after I had won a junior title and said, "Margaret, you could be the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon." Even though I was young, those words pierced my heart from that day forward.
Every time someone asked me what I wanted to do in my tennis, I would tell them that I wanted to be the first Australian woman to ever win Wimbledon. I began to train and lift weights, becoming totally focused on achieving my goal. I knew to be the best I had to be the fittest and I actually was one of the first female athletes in Australia to train with weights in a men's gym. I had to say "no" to some of the things I wanted to say "yes" to for I know that with every goal to achieve, there was a price I had to pay, but one I eventfully enjoyed!
I basically hit ball all the time with the men as they hit the ball harder and faster than the women players at that time. This helped me cope with women's tennis so much better. I was just seventeen when I won my first Australian Open and after that, the floodgates of success opened. I achieved every single goal I had ever set. I was delighted to be the first Australian to win at Rome and the French Open before I achieved the goal of winning Wimbledon which had steered my path in life from the time I had left school. I would go on to win 5 French, 5 US Opens, 11 Australian and 3 Wimbledon Singles titles for which I praise God. Had I known then what I know today, I could have won 6 Wimbledons!
I became a Christian in 1975 while I was still number one in the world. It was joy receiving Jesus into my life as my own personal Lord and Saviour. God had finally become someone very real and tangible to me and I told everyone I met about Him. I soon learnt that all my life I had been employing God's principles to faith that I did not know existed. I thought faith was something you had or did not have. I know that it was a spiritual force that can grow in your life and bring you into higher levels of believing, even though the world says it is impossible.
Nothing Is Impossible To Him Who Believes
Scriptural principles to building our faith can be applied by anyone and in any situation to ensure a positive result. God's Word never fails and it never fails anyone who will apply it to their life. What you hear constantly will form that belief in you. Fear comes the same way....if you hear constantly that you can't do it, you'll never make it....guess what, you never will! If however, you hear something positive, something encouraging and you hear it constantly, it will grow in you and form that very belief in you, even if at first you did not believe it. I did this when I heard those encouraging words early in my career and I never let them go!
Faith Comes By Hearing....Romans 10:17
I began to speak out what I wanted to do. Hearing myself speak those words built my faith level. I began hoping I could do it and as I kept speaking out those positive words, 'I want to be the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon' I actually started to believe I could do it!
I worked hard to stay focused, training diligently in all kinds of weather, going to the gym when I didn't want to go. I knew that I had to act on what I was saying for it to have any effect because I knew wishing and hoping on their own would never take me to Wimbledon.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
I achieved every goal I had set for myself. I had used God's scriptural principles which never fail no matter who uses them. Today I pastor a large church and teach the people these principles to faith that I used in my own life and career without even knowing I had. Faith hears, faith speaks, faith acts and then faith receives.
What are you hearing? What are you speaking? What are you doing? What is in abundance in your life? - are you on the road to success or defeat; the decision is yours!
The greatest win you can ever have is to ask Jesus Christ into your heart. Taking this step will make you a winner in every area of your life. Jesus came with a promise of abundant life - spirit, soul and body for you. He will help you, even in your sporting career.
God is looking for His champions to grace the world's centre courts. God wants His children to be strong and achieve excellence in their chosen sport. For too long Christians have given the areas of art, music, media and sport to those who have no relationship with God, who, ironically has given them the talents with which they play.
The gospel is better received when fine athletes like Michael Chang are seen giving God the glory and are awarded a tournament title. My only regret in a life filled with many "firsts" is that I did not make Jesus the Lord of my life until I almost retired from tennis. Losses would have been rare and had I had His presence within me, knowing how to renew my mind to God's scriptures to control and reject fear and concern, bringing peace and security, self-confidence and self-esteem by knowing who I really was in Christ."
Reprinted with permission from Tennis Life Magazine, South Africa
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