Recently, professional baseball player Riley Unroe discussed the profound implications faith in Jesus Christ has had in his life. However, the athlete noted that he has not always put his entire trust in God but was called back home to the Lord.
Like so many people in modern society, Unroe explored the offerings of secular culture upon beginning his professional career, essentially becoming a Christian in name only. He explained that he was not living his life in a manner that would please Christ.
“When I was drafted, I decided to take advantage of what the world had to offer and held on to the label of Christian, but I did not hold its values, and I did not live according to Christ’s calling for me,” he said.
The baseball player further noted that he began to pursue the wrong ambitions, saying, “When I didn’t have my identity in Christ, faking it became the only way I knew how to process in the world and function, and so I got really good at faking it.”
However, despite stepping away from Jesus Christ, Unroe noted the undying love of our Lord and Savior, who will never forsake us, even when we stray away. “I was expecting to be judged and feel his wrath come upon me, and I was terrified to enter that pitch-black closet, but within the first five minutes, all he reminded me of is why he loves me,” he said. “Those were the only thoughts that I had on my mind and for the next 40 minutes or so.”
Unroe expressed how he felt close to God and felt called to return to his faith. “That was the defining moment for me, so I got on my knees, and I kept praying to him, and I prayed, ‘Please help me and save me and deliver me from this evil that I’ve welcomed into my life. Restore me from this.’ And after about three minutes, I felt the most liberating, unshackling freedom that I’ve ever felt in my entire life,” he recounted.
The professional athlete continued detailing the powerful love of God that he felt, which restored him from the evil, sinful lifestyle he was living. Unroe proclaimed that, above anything else, he puts his “security” and “identity” in God.
“There’s a peace within me that I know that God’s got me, and my security and my identity for the rest of my life is no longer in what I do but in who I am as a child of God,” Unroe declared. “You can never go wrong giving your life to Jesus, and that is who I will glorify, and that is who I will honor with my life.”
“God, thank You for always being at work in me. Please continue to transform my desires and actions so that they honor You. Use me to fulfill Your purpose in the world. I want my life to bring You glory. Amen,” he said in a post on X.
Note: The featured image is a screen shot from the embedded video.