Gary Ablett Jr recalls how he found his faith in tough times
Gary Ablett Jr has revealed the unlikely path he took to faith while going through troubled times. Despite his famous father’s strong Christian beliefs, a young Gary said it wasn’t a central part of his life until one night in a Torquay share house.
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Geelong great Gary Ablett has told of the “transformational” night when God spoke to him at a share house in Torquay, showing him the true power of prayer and belief and changing his life forever.
The Cats superstar grew up in a family where the Christian faith was a central part of life however he writes in his new book that as a child he saw church as more of an opportunity to spend time with his famous father, Gary Ablett Snr.
He drifted away from the church in his teens.
Then as a young footy player on the rise Ablett found himself struggling to find answers for three issues that were troubling him, so one night 15 years ago he asked God for help.
“At the age of 21, crammed in a house in Torquay with five mates, I had a very powerful experience,” he reveals in his autobiography.
“At that time, my football career was beginning to take off and I was finally finding my feet as a regular part of the Geelong line-up.
“There were three particular areas in my life that were really overwhelming me.
“This night, I was lying in bed and crying, which prompted me to pray to God, ‘If you’re real, I need your help, because I’m really struggling.’
“My prayer was as short as that.”
Ablett has told of his deep commitment to God and the strength and guidance he draws from his faith in Gary Ablett: An Autobiography which is released today. (Thursday, October 29) He says his prayer that lonely night was answered within hours.
“At one or two o’clock in the morning, I woke suddenly, feeling unsettled. I remember sitting up in bed before deciding to go downstairs and watch TV,” he writes.
“I turned the TV on and hadn’t even had time to change the channel before a Christian show began.
“I thought to myself, ‘OK, this is interesting.’ Straight away the program touched on one of the very things I was struggling with, and it made me think back to the words I prayed.
“The program rolled straight into another show that touched on the second thing that I was really struggling with.
“Then, no exaggeration, a third show followed, and that one addressed my other worry. “Three shows in a row had covered the problems that had been troubling me. I was absolutely buzzing. I just couldn’t believe it.”
The experience in the early hours of that morning was a turning point in his life.
“There had been previous times in my life where I had prayed, and then circumstances had changed,” he writes.
“But I would question whether that meant that God was involved or whether it was merely a coincidence.
“But that night, as my simple prayer was answered, the series of events led me to truly believe that God was speaking directly to me.
“It was transformational and became a real turning point in my life.”
From that moment Ablett decided to re-embrace the church and the teachings of the Bible and to live a life that honoured and respected God.
“From that point, I began not just reading the Bible, but studying it, because I wanted to learn and understand more about God and his character, rather than relying on other people to tell me,” he writes.
“It was initially comforting to know I had someone there who was never going to let me down, who was always going to be there for me no matter what.”
Ablett’s faith developed further while he was playing with the Gold Coast Suns and his Christian beliefs have helped him navigate challenges in his life and the pressure and adulation that football brought. He also credits it with helping his personal development.
“I believe a big part of that development in me has come from studying who God says I am and actually believing it,” he wrote.
“I know that God has blessed me with an ability, and with that has provided a platform.
“I just want to make sure that I’m using what I’ve been given to be a tool for God’s purpose and to help and love others.”
Gary Ablett: An Autobiography, published by Hardie Grant, is out now.
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Originally published as Gary Ablett Jr recalls how he found his faith in tough times