Michael Chang

Michael at the 1989 French Open. (http://assets.espn.go.com/ photo/2007/1008/ten_g_chang_195.jpg)

I consider Michael Chang a hero not only for his outstanding ability to play tennis, but for the stand that he made for God both on and off the court. Michael was born on February 22, 1972 in Hoboken, New Jersey. He started playing on the professional circuit and competing against the best tennis players in the world at the tender age of fifteen. Everyone became amazed at how well he could compete on the professional level while being so young. Although Michael was much shorter than most of his opponents, he won many matches because he worked extremely hard, never gave up until the match was over, and would often come up with good strategies to outsmart his opponents. Michael realized that God had blessed him with the talent to play tennis for a reason, so he made it his mission to use this talent to glorify God and witness to as many people as he could. Michael had just recently accepted Christ into his heart, and his whole life has been changed by that decision. He made sure that his spiritual conditioning always took priority over his physical conditioning by reading his Bible every morning and night, praying throughout the day, and praying before every match that he played. However, when Michael prayed before his matches, he wouldn’t pray that he would win, but he would pray that his actions and words would be used to glorify the Lord. Michael had a heart that was on fire for God, and he was determined to tell the whole world about Him.

Michael won the French Open of 1989 at seventeen years old, becoming the youngest male player in history ever to win it. When he was interviewed after winning the finals, he said "I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, because without Him, I am nothing." The crowd of sixty thousand people that had been watching him reacted with both cheers and boos. Television commentators and other players criticized him and told him that he should not openly share about his religious beliefs with everyone, but none of this stopped Michael. He continued to give the credit to God for his victories and would share about his faith every chance he got. He set a good example for younger generations by telling about his love for his family, expressing the importance of accepting Christ into his life, and not getting into trouble like some celebrities tend to do when they don’t know what to do with all their fame and fortune. Michael used his fame and fortune to set up foundations that helped others. He set up the Tennis Stars of the Future program in Hong Kong to provide underprivileged kids with equipment and coaching.

(http://themanmc.tripod.com/trophy.jpg)

I admire Michael Chang because he trusted that the Lord would always be there to give him the strength to do His will. It took a lot of courage for Michael to give thanks to God at the French Open while millions of people were watching on international television. He obeyed God even though it must have been very hard to do so at the time. When I step on the court to play, I want to be like Michael Chang. Not only do I want to win and be a fierce competitor, but I want to be sure to let the Lord shine through me like Michael did on so many occasions. When Michael Chang stepped up to the line to serve, he wasn’t serving to increase his own glory; he was serving for God. I want to learn to serve for God, just like Michael Chang did.