Mark Wahlberg Emphasizes Redemption and Grace: ‘You Cannot Give up on People’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Mark Wahlberg recently shared his thoughts on forgiveness and grace, and encouraged today’s culture to implement them into everyday life.
“There’s nothing worse than when somebody realizes that people don’t care,” Wahlberg explained, saying that it causes them to “lose hope and have no faith.”
“You cannot give up on people,” he continued. “And people are so quick to turn their backs on people. And negativity as a whole has just been amplified in a way that it’s really hard to remind people of the importance of loving and supporting people. People can do incredible things.”
Wahlberg has his own personal experiences with redemption. After spending about a month in jail, the actor started to focus on his faith, and he said that’s when “all these little good things started to happen” in his life.
Movieguide® previously reported on Wahlberg’s faith:
Jesus captured Mark Wahlberg’s heart after the INSTANT FAMILY actor landed in prison in 1988.
“I had a lot of time to myself and most of that time I spent running around the streets getting a street education. I left school at an early age. I quit school at 13. I ended up getting into a lot of trouble being incarcerated, tried as an adult at 16, 17 and that was a big wake-up call for me,” Wahlberg told a priest.
Then Wahlberg made a substantial change while behind bars.
“I decided, you know what, I needed to turn my life around and a lot of people go to God especially when they get in trouble,” said Wahlberg. “When I heard the jail doors closed behind me, I started praying right away but I knew that that was just the beginning for me, because I knew I really wanted to turn my life around and I made a commitment that day.”
These days, Wahlberg isn’t ashamed of his faith, even in Hollywood.
“Look, I will not hide the fact that I love the Lord and I want to be committed to serving the Lord, but I also don’t jam it down anybody’s throat,” said Wahlberg on TODAY in a previous interview. “But it’s better to never have known God than to deny God. I mean, that’s not a good look. That’s not a good look.”
Wahlberg doesn’t condone his behavior from his pre-Jesus days, but he looks to pay his blessings forward.
“If I could go back and do a lot of things over I would,” said Wahlberg. “I think the way that I can kind of continue to, you know, to give back and to do things for other people.”
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
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Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
