Hollywood actor Denzel Washington recently spoke to the University of Colorado Boulder football team, affirming that “God put me on this planet to preach.”
In a video posted to YouTube on Thursday, Washington addressed the team through video conferencing a few months after being baptized and receiving his ministerial license.
Sharing his faith journey, Washington, who was raised in the church, described himself “as a man of God who's been through every machination of faith, from faith to ‘F it.’” He reminisced about a time when he was conflicted in his faith, saying, “I rejected God. I hated God.”
Yet, he also experienced love and appreciation for God. Washington acknowledged, “I've had no patience with God, and God has had nothing but patience with me. That's why they call it grace.”
At 70 years old, Washington emphasized, “We all have different platforms. Some will be stars. Some will never be stars.”
While acknowledging the athletes' talents, he reminded them that football is not their life's purpose: “He gave you that gift, but that's not your purpose in life because one knee, one shoulder, one ankle, one Achilles, one concussion can end that.”
Washington assured the students of their “God-given potential to be great,” sharing his conviction, “God did not put me on this planet to act; God put me on this planet to preach.”
He revisited a moment from 50 years ago at his mother's beauty parlor, where a patron predicted, “Young man, you're going to travel the world and preach to millions of people.” Reflecting on that conversation, Washington suggested it fulfilled that prophecy. He emphasized, “One thing we all have in common is God-given ability” and assured the athletes, “You don't have to know it now.”
During a Q&A session, Washington stated, “God found me long before I found him,” and emphasized that “it's not a competition” and “there's nobody closer to God than the next person.”
Offering advice, he urged the football team to “Get up in the morning and be quiet, I'm not talking about prayer, I'm just talking about be quiet, put your feet on the floor. Try to take two minutes and just be quiet. Breathe. Listen.”
