By Mallory Mattingly
Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin recently spoke about why he feels like he has been “chosen” by God.
“My faith was very strong, always, you know. I always had, like, an internal connection to the Lord,” Hamlin told Sports Spectrum. “And, you know, it feels like my faith before wasn’t built up for everything. It truly feels like everything that I ever experienced, everything that I’ve been through as a kid growing up, it was moments to prepare me for what God was going to bless me with.”
“So, you know, I feel like all the work that I was doing, you know, God truly just hand-picked me and said, ‘I’m choosing you for this,'” the athlete continued. “And you know, to be at the center of so much love, so much prayer, bringing people together. Man, I had people who were never believers, ever, you know, dropping to their knees and talking to God and finding God through caring for me.”
“So, you know, that’s a blessed position to be in,” he emphasized. “So, you know, one thing that situation gave me was perspective. So, you know, to have that perspective, to know that God chose me for a higher purpose, even beyond the game. It truly makes me feel like a chosen one.”
Related: Damar Hamlin Has Unfinished Business: ‘Twenty-One Months Ago, I Was Dead’
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Since going into cardiac arrest mid-game on Jan. 2, 2023, Hamlin has kept his faith at the forefront of his life and recently got baptized.
“It was important for it to be the right time,” Hamlin told Sports Spectrum earlier this month. “I wanted my family to be able to make it up to Buffalo to be there. I don’t want to say that I’m a completely new person, but my sense of direction and purpose and alignment with who I feel like I’m supposed to be has been on point. It brings me peace.”
He also turned that scary incident into a life-changing organization.
Hamlin, “through his Chasing M’s CPR Tour…has trained more than 13,000 people in hands-only CPR, donated $880,000+ worth of AEDs to schools and youth sports programs, and even gone to Capitol Hill to help pass the HEARTS Act — federal legislation requiring CPR training and AED access in schools. His work with the American Heart Association has inspired over 3 million people to learn CPR online,” Boardroom wrote in a joint post with Hamlin.
“From Paris to Tokyo to Houston, the tour has gone global — with stops at NFL events, celebrity weekends, and community drives. His foundation funds the Heroes Scholarship in Buffalo and Cincinnati, invests in mentorship and youth programs, and has given out thousands of toys through his annual Toy Drive. In total, Chasing M’s has invested more than $500,000 into programs that feed, inspire, and protect kids,” the post continued.
Hamlin took something scary and has turned it into good. Praise God for his faith and desire to help save other lives through CPR training.
Read Next: Buffalo Bills Safety Damar Hamlin Baptized: Faith Brings ‘Peace’ and New Purpose
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