Like all Olympic athletes, Gabby Douglas’ road to the Olympics was paved with determination, hard work and sacrifice. But it was more than that. Gabby’s journey was laid on a foundation of God’s Word and prayer.
“If you go back on the footage on any competition, you'll see my lips moving and I'm praying,” smiled Gabby. “And I remember when I fell and I said, ‘oh, it’s because I didn’t pray,’ I fell because I didn’t pray!” she laughed. “I would take it very seriously.”
She learned how to pray from her mother, Natalie. In fact, when Gabby was born, she was sickly and couldn’t keep food down. Natalie, a mother of four, couldn’t afford a doctor or medicine and had only one option.
Natalie said, “I remember literally staying up at night praying for her and saying Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.”
Then Gabby started gaining weight and became a healthy, happy baby.
I mean, there's no other explanation as to how she miraculously recovered,” Natalie said with a gleam in her eyes. “And she just grew into the amazing, strong child that she is.”
As Gabby found her passion in gymnastics she spent hours in training. But it was expensive and Natalie couldn’t afford all of her children’s pursuits. Then, Gabby’s two older sisters decided to give up their activities so their sister could pursue her Olympic dreams.At first, Natalie wouldn’t have it.
“How, as a parent, am I going to allow my other children to give up their dreams and their passions just to help support the dreams and passion of one? And I struggled with that for a long time,” revealed Natalie.
“And it was my kids really that set me free.” Natalie continued, “And they said, ‘You know, Mom, we want to do this. We want to see her achieve her goals. And we feel like we'll get there too, but right now, this is her time.’"
Natalie knew the road ahead would not be an easy one. So she made prayer and Bible study a priority. Gabby says those foundations kept her on track in her most difficult times.
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