There's a famous American movie star, and there's a devout Christian man who's honest about how his relationship with God hasn't always been smooth. And this person is none other than the two-time Oscar and Golden Globe winner Denzel Washington.
He was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. His father was a Pentecostal minister and his mother ran her own beauty salon. When little Denzel wasn't at school, he spent his time either at church or at the store. The boy had a closer relationship with his mother, but he also had a special bond with his father.
"My father, my earthly father, served the Lord and the church for 60 years. I know that he is smiling down on me from Heaven and knows that his son is giving his best performance, in which God is also supporting him."
However, as Denzel grew up, he began to doubt and question the Lord's authority, and instead of going to church, the young boy became involved in more and more street fights, which was compounded by the fact that at the age of 14, his parents divorced and his life turned upside down.
Denzel Washington was never a very good student, and seeing his deteriorating academic results, his mother enrolled his son in the Oakland Military Academy, where God once again returned to Denzel's life. One day he visited his mother's beauty salon, where he looked into one of the mirrors and saw a woman sitting under the dryer.
“He told me, young man, you are going to travel the world to talk to people. You will preach to them. You can imagine how I, as a 20-year-old, experienced all of this."
Denzel then attended Fordham University, where he played basketball and studied medicine, but he quickly realized that wasn't his path, so he deferred a year because he wanted to be clear about his purpose. To get money, the lost young man got a job at Camp Sloan, where he was appointed creative director. It was here that he came into closer contact with acting. In 1977, he returned to the university, where he already graduated with a degree in arts journalism, and then won a scholarship to the famous American Conservatory Theater, located in San Francisco. A few years later, his acting career started, he appeared in the Carbon Copy .
He reached the peak of his career in 1989 and 2001, as he won the Academy Award for Best Actor in the films 54th Corps and Training. Despite his success, Denzel Washington has always felt close to God.
"There was never a time in my life when God did not guide me, protect me, and always believed in me."
He and Pauletta Pearson have been married since 1983, and despite Hollywood not being the city of long-lasting marriages, Denzel and his wife's relationship is rock solid. Pauletta said about her husband:
"I know this man, I know what it's like when he's sad or when he's down."
Denzel Washington knows that success and money come and go, but he knows that he owes his marriage to God.
“Always, always put God first. I owe everything I have to Him, He sent all my gifts"
Featured image: AP
