Why This MLB Player Trusts God’s Purpose for His Testimony
By Movieguide® Contributor
Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter is on a mission to help his team win a World Series title and share the love of Jesus.
But faith wasn’t always his priority. Amid the chaos of the pandemic in 2020, Carpenter’s dad died. The tragedy inspired the athlete to take his grief and questions to God, and he dedicated his life to Christ for the first time.
“It just kind of manifested in freedom and peace that Christ gave me on the field because that’s something that before I knew Christ I never had,” he told Sports Spectrum of how his faith changed his perspective. “Never. Never played a baseball game in freedom or peace.”
Carpenter returned to Sports Spectrum’s podcast in January and shared how God is using what he went through as a testimony for others.
“One of my purposes, I really feel, is that God has put me here to go through those ups and downs and to show that my ups and downs don’t affect my identity,” he revealed. “That’s something I always think about, always want to be a witness. I always want to be an ambassador.”
“That’s really my goal, is to play free,” he added. “My goal is to reach my full potential, and I believe that the only way you can reach your full potential is in Christ.”
For more inspiring sports stories, check out Sports Spectrum.
For the athlete, playing in the big leagues is truly a “blessing.”
“I don’t know if that’s 21-year-old me would believe it, to be honest,” Carpenter said. “Even at that time, I don’t know if I was ever like, ‘Oh, I’m going to play in the big leagues for sure. It was more of a, ‘Let’s keep going and see what happens.’ I don’t know If you would have told me what my life is like now, if I’d have believed it. It’s incredible. It’s such a blessing.”
He’s been an important part of his team’s success this season, too.
“The 27-year-old Carpenter has been a key figure in the Tigers’ late-season playoff push. In 28 games since returning to the lineup, he is hitting .284 with seven home runs and 21 RBIs,” Sports Spectrum reported.
Carpenter rarely shies away from showing people his faith and often includes Bible verses in his Instagram posts.
In one post, Carpenter shared several photos of the sunset. He wrote, “Beauty, joy, and freedom in the mighty name of Jesus,”
He also included Nehemiah 8:10, which says, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
