main finland ke tampere shehar mein pala-badha. hamara parivar shehar ke ekdam ekaant ilake mein rehta tha, jo kaafi hara-bhara tha. hamare parivar ko dharm mein koi khaas ruchi nahin thi, lekin shiksha aur logon ke saath adab-kaayde se pesh aana hamare liye bahot maayne rakhta tha. meri maa jarmani ki hain aur bachpan mein aksar main pashchimi germany mein apne naana-naani ke ghar rehta tha.

mujhe bachpan se hi khel bahot pasand hai. pehle to main har tarah ke khel khelta tha, lekin jab main kareeb 14 saal ka hua, to mainne soch liya ki main tennis par hi poora dhyan doonga. fir jab main 16 saal ka hua, tab main din mein do se teen baar prashikshan leta tha. do baar peshevar prashikshan keindra mein jaata tha aur fir shaam ko khud se abhyas karta tha. is khel ki har baat ka main deevana ho gaya tha. yah ek aisa khel hai, jismein na sirf chust shareer ki, balki chust dimag ki bhi zaroorat hoti hai. haalaanki mujhe apne doston ke saath sangati karna aur kabhi-kabhar beer peena achha lagta tha, lekin mainne kabhi itni sharab ya drugs nahin liya ki museebat mein pad jaaun. mere liye tennis hi sabkuch tha, yahi meri zindagi thi.

jab main 17 saal ka hua, to main atp ki khel-pratiyogita mein bhaag lene laga. * main kai pratiyogitaon mein jeet bhi gaya, jisse main desh-bhar mein mashhoor ho gaya. fir 22 saal ka hote-hote main duniya ke 50 sabse behtareen khiladiyon mein gina jaane laga.

kai saalon tak mainne alag-alag deshon mein peshevar khiladi ke taur par tennis khela. is dauran mainne aisi kai jagah dekhin, jo man ko bhaa jaati thi. lekin mujhe yah bhi ehsas hua ki apradh, bahot zyada drugs lena aur pradooshan ki samasya poori duniya mein hai. udahran ke liye, ek baar jab main amreeka gaya hua tha, to hum khiladiyon se kaha gaya ki kuch shehron ki falan jagahon par na jaayen, kyonki vahaan apradh bahot zyada hota hai. yah sab dekhkar main pareshan ho jaata tha. iske alava bhale hi main aisa kaam kar raha tha, jisse mujhe bahot lagav tha, fir bhi din ke aakhir mein main andar se ekdam khaali-khaali mehsoos karta tha.

meri ek girlfriend thi, sanna. kuch samay baad woh yahova ke sakshiyon se bible ka adhyan karne lagi. dharm mein is tarah uski dilchaspi dekhkar mujhe thoda ajeeb lagta tha, lekin mainne use adhyan karne se mana bhi nahin kiya. san 1990 mein mainne usse shaadi ki aur fir agle saal woh baptisma lekar yahova ki ek sakshi ban gayi. jahaan tak meri baat hai, main ishvar ko to maanta tha, magar mujhe nahin lagta tha ki main ek dhaarmik vyakti hoon. mujhe yaad hai ki germany mein meri naani bible padha karti thi, yahaan tak ki unhonne mujhe prarthna karna bhi sikhaya tha.

ek din main aur sanna ek pati-patni se milne gaye, jo yahova ke sakshi the. pati ka naam tha kari. usne mujhe “aakhiri dinon” ke baare mein bible ki bhavishyavani dikhayi. (2 timuthiyus 3:1-5) us bhavishyavani ne mujhe sochne par majboor kar diya, kyonki usse mujhe samajh mein aaya ki duniya mein itni burai kyon hai. us din hamne us vishay par bahot zyada baat nahin ki. lekin uske baad se hi main kari ke saath bible ke baare mein baatcheet karne laga. uski baatein mujhe sahi lag rahi thi aur samajh mein bhi aa rahi thi. darasal main bahot vyast rehta tha aur aksar mujhe kahin-na-kahin jaana padta tha, isliye hamari baatcheet niyamit taur par nahin ho paati thi. lekin kari ne haar nahin maani. uske saath meri charcha ke dauran main jo saval karta tha, unke javab woh khat ke zariye mujhe deta rehta tha. zindagi ke baare mein jitne bhi zaroori saval the, un sabke javab bible se mujhe mile aur ye javab aise hote the, jinmein tuk banta tha. dheere-dheere main samajhne laga ki bible ka mukhya vishay kya hai. woh yah ki parmeshvar ke raaj ke zariye uske sab vaade poore kiye jaayenge. jab bible se mainne jaana ki parmeshvar ka naam yahova hai aur usne hamare liye kitna kuch kiya hai, to iska mujh par gehra asar hua. (bhajan 83:18) jo baat sabse zyada mere dil ko chhoo gayi, woh thi firauti balidan ka intazam. yah intazam yoon hi koi kaanooni maang poori karne ke liye nahin kar diya gaya tha, balki yah parmeshvar ke pyar ka saboot tha. (yuhanna 3:16) mainne yah bhi seekha ki main parmeshvar ka dost ban sakta hoon aur ek aisi khoobsoorat duniya mein hamesha ji sakta hoon, jahaan shaanti hi shaanti hogi. (yakub 4:8) main khud se poochhne laga, “main kaise dikha sakta hoon ki is sabke liye main bahot kadardan hoon?”

main jis tarah zindagi ji raha tha, us baare mein mainne gehrai se socha. mainne bible se seekha ki sabse zyada khushi dene se milti hai. is vajah se mera man karne laga ki main jo vishvas karta hoon, us baare mein doosron ko bataun. (preshiton 20:35) ek peshevar khiladi hone ke naate main saal mein kareeb 200 din ghar par nahin rehta tha, main khel pratiyogitaon mein bhaag lene door-door jaata tha. mere parivar ke liye main hi sabkuch tha, mera prashikshan, mera schedule, mera career, iske siva unke liye kuch maayne nahin rakhta tha. mujhe ehsas hone laga ki mujhe khud mein badlav karne honge.

main jaanta tha ki dharm ki vajah se khel ki duniya mein achha-khaasa career chhodna, kai logon ko samajhdari nahin lagega. lekin apne srishtikarta yahova ko achhi tarah jaanna aur hamesha ki zindagi paana, aisa inam hai jiske aage tennis ka har inam feeka hai. is vajah se yah faisla karna mere liye mushkil nahin tha ki ab mujhe kya karna hai. mainne thaan liya ki main is baat par dhyan nahin doonga ki log kya kaheinge, yah mera apna faisla hai. logon ki taraf se aanevale dabav ka saamna karne mein bible ki ek aayat, bhajan 118:6 se mujhe bahot himmat mili, jismein likha hai, “yahova meri taraf hai, main nahin daroonga. insan mera kya kar sakta hai?”

kareeb-kareeb isi dauran mere saamne itna zyada paisa kamane ka mauka aaya ki main saalon befikra hokar tennis khel sakta tha. lekin main faisla kar chuka tha, isliye mainne woh peshkash thukra di. kuch samay baad mainne atp ki pratiyogitaon mein khelna band kar diya. mainne bible ka adhyan jaari rakha aur 2 julai, 1994 mein baptisma lekar main yahova ka sakshi ban gaya.

mere maamle mein aisa nahin tha ki mere saath koi haadsa hua, jis vajah se main parmeshvar ke baare mein sochne laga aur na hi main parmeshvar ke baare mein sachchai ki talash kar raha tha. mujhe lagta tha ki main jis tarah zindagi ji raha hoon, woh kaafi achhi hai, mujhe aur kuch nahin chahiye. lekin fir ek din mere saath jo hua, usse aisa laga maano bible ki sachchai mera intazar kar rahi ho. is sachchai se mujhe pata chala ki zindagi ka kuch aur hi maksad hai. bible ki sachchai ne jis tarah meri zindagi sanvar di, us baare mein main kabhi soch bhi nahin sakta tha! ab hamare parivar ka bandhan pehle se zyada mazboot ho gaya hai, hamare beech pehle se zyada ekta hai. yah jaankar mujhe khushi hoti hai ki mere teen bete meri misal par chal rahe hain, tennis khiladi ke taur par nahin, balki ek maseehi ke taur par.

mujhe tennis khelne mein ab bhi maza aata hai. apne parivar ki dekhbhal karne ke liye main tennis se jude hi kaam kar raha hoon, jaise tennis coach ke taur par aur ek tennis keindra ke prabandhak ke taur par. lekin ab khel meri zindagi mein sabkuch nahin hai. pehle main tennis ka sabse achha khiladi banne aur ek-se-ek khitab jeetne ke liye har hafte prashikshan lene mein kai-kai ghante bitata tha. lekin ab main apna zyada-se-zyada samay parmeshvar ke raaj ki khushkhabri sunane mein bitata hoon. logon ko yah sikhane aur samjhane mein mujhe bahot khushi hoti hai ki woh bible ke woh siddhaant apni zindagi mein kaise laagoo kar sakte hain, jinse meri zindagi sanvar gayi hai. ab mere liye parmeshvar yahova ke saath mera rishta aur logon ko ek sunahre bhavishya ki aasha ke baare mein batana sabse zyada maayne rakhta hai.​—1 timuthiyus 6:19.