New Orleans Saints Wide Receiver Juwan Johnson recently expressed his faith during an interview with Sports Spectrum, a Christian sports network. Johnson shared a specific Bible verse that offered him an entirely new perspective on his life.
“It’s a good one. I just heard it, and it resonated with me so well,” Johnson said. “And it’s to look at God’s face instead of looking at His hand. And we’re always looking and asking for God for something. ‘Oh, like, you’re not doing this for me, not doing that for me. Man, I wish you could take this off my plate.’”
According to the wide receiver, Scripture profoundly changed his outlook, even motivating him to praise God in his Instagram bio. Johnson voiced how it is paramount to focus on the eternal salvation granted by the substitutionary sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. This trumps whatever worldly circumstances one may face in this life.
“When Jesus said, ‘Oh, can you pass this cup up from me, but God, your will be done.’ And it’s more so looking at His face, seeking His face, knowing that despite what I – I even switched my Instagram bio to ‘It’s salvation over circumstances.’ And the blood that He shed on the cross, it’s way more important than my circumstances right now.”
The Child Mind Institute Instagram page shared a video where the professional athlete discussed how “praying and talking to a parent or a friend help him overcome his personal mental health struggles. His reminder: even successful athletes struggle with mental health and you are not alone!”
Johnson discussed how frequent prayer is key for his mental health as he reminds himself that he is not responsible to shoulder the burden of life’s struggles. The Bible instructs us to cast our worries on God and find peace and rest in his glory.
“What I do to stay mentally fit is that I pray. One of the biggest things for me is my faith,” he stated in the video. “And the one thing I do that I have to go through life, go through struggles, trials, tribulations. I know I don’t have to carry all these things alone. What He does for me is that He puts my baggage on wheels and that I’m able to carry my problems, whatever I do, because we all go through problems, is that He’ll help me with that.”
As of recently, it seems increasingly common that professional athletes are publicly expressing their faith. The Christian Tribune reported on recent comments from Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr. who illustrated the importance of having a relationship with God.
“At the end of the day basketball doesn’t matter. Money doesn’t matter. Fame doesn’t matter. The most important thing is a relationship with God,” Porter stated in an Instagram post shared by the faith-based sports account Christlete.
“A lot of people get anxious or mental problems when they’re putting their hope in love that’s unstable,” Porter said. “So, I’m learning how to try to get my love from a stable source, which for me is God. So, learning to put that over things that are changing and fleeting, like the admiration of fans or what the public says about you, that’s been a big thing that’s brought me peace.”
Featured image credit: Saints / Instagram