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‘Misery Loves Company’- 15 Years After Soul Stirring Jehovah’s Witness Admission, Venus Williams Turns to the Bible to Help Tackle Life

Published Oct 7, 2023 | 8:08 AM EDT

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Abstaining from celebrations, thanking the Jehovah God at every turn, attending Witness meetings, and participating in door-to-door evangelizing efforts – these are just a few instances of how the Williams family regards religion as the core of their lives. While her younger sister, Serena Williams, has been in the news frequently with her admissions about being a Jehovah’s Witness, now it is her elder sister, Venus Williams, who has spoken out about her faith. Turning to the Bible, she made a deeply spiritual admission.

The Williams sisters hail from a religious household and continue to remain strong about their beliefs. While Serena and Venus have been candid about their beliefs, the elder Williams sister just dropped a gold nugget of wisdom on her YouTube profile. She created a video about toxicity where she explained how she felt after and dealt with losses. What exactly did the seven-time Grand Slam champion have in mind?

Venus Williams on dealing with toxicity

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Venus Williams has a fairly successful YouTube channel where she uploads clips frequently. Most recently, she created a video about dealing with the toxicity in oneself. Competing in a sport as rigorous and demanding as tennis, she has seen her fair share of lows along with the highs. With her experience, she started off by talking about how she developed a toxic trait while dealing with losses.

Venus said, “I feel like there have been times where I’ve lost in a tournament and then when someone else lost two that may have like been the number one seed or something. I felt slightly less bad about my loss sometimes misery loves company.” Although their losses softened the blow, she did not use to fixate on them. Feeling slightly better when the situation arises sometimes can help the individual, but it should not be fixated upon, according to Williams. 

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She quoted a scripture from the Bible, which solidified her belief in the strategy. “So there’s a scripture in the Bible that is so appropriate here and this one says remove the rafter out of your eye before you remove the straw out of someone else’s. So focus on you, focus less on the flaws around you and how those might build you up, and focus on how you can build yourself up in your own self-esteem.” 

The entire Williams family follows the path of Jehovah’s Witnesses and has variously discussed its influence on them. Ever since her admission of religiosity almost 15 years ago, Venus, too, has talked about how her beliefs have helped her deal with problems in her personal life and issues in court.

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Queen V on religious beliefs shaping her perspective in life

 In an interview in 2022, she talked about how her religious ideologies have helped her deal with difficult times. She also cited that her struggles on the court would be relieved slightly due to her religious mindset – something that Serena, too, has echoed.

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No matter the issues in court, she would stay strong and understood that losing was not the end of the world. Being backed by such beliefs helped her overcome many difficulties, especially growing up in a place plagued by violence. Now, we see a great tennis veteran who has won many trophies and still holds her personal beliefs close to her heart. 

WATCH THIS STORY | ‘Mama Genes Strong’- Serena Williams’ Five-year-old Daughter’s Unique Love For Sport Leaves Father Alexis Ohanian a Tad Disappointed

Written by:

Ripunjay Gaba

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Ripunjay is a Tennis writer with an unwavering passion for the sport and a deep admiration for Roger Federer. He specializes in providing in-depth coverage of everything related to the 'Swiss Maestro.' Ripunjay's love for tennis is evident in the quality of his writing, which is characterized by its clarity, depth, and insightful analysis.
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Edited by:

Aishwary Gaonkar