By Mallory Mattingly
San Francisco 49ers running back Patrick Taylor opened up on Sports Spectrum’s “Get in the Game” podcast about how he finds his identity in God alone.
“Before knowing God, it was like, ‘Patrick the football player.’ But since knowing Him, my identity is not in football. I am a child of God, man of God, and I want my life to resemble that. I don’t want my Patrick the football player,” Taylor told Sports Spectrum’s Scott Linebrink.
The running back continued: “I mean, it’s very easy to get caught up in the worldly things of, ‘Hey. I’m a football player, I’m a basketball player, I’m a baseball player, I’m a singer, I’m an actor.’ But when you fully surrender your life to Christ and He’s our savior — God sent His only son Jesus Christ to die for our sins, so why would I not live for Him?”
“My identity isn’t in football. That’s not my idol, that’s not my god,” Taylor added. “It’s a false god because it will do nothing but disappoint you. But when my identity is in God and God alone — like whether good or bad or indifferent, something bad happens — I’m good.”
In his Instagram bio, Taylor writes, “Keep the faith.” He also includes the verse, Jeremiah 29:11: “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
In 2024, Taylor and his wife, Lauren, welcomed a baby girl to their little family. Lauren shared a part of her birth story on Instagram and God’s presence through the process.
“I feel compelled to share because God answered so many prayers through this experience, and reading home birth stories normalized this option and helped me to choose this path,” she wrote.
“Labor was hard. But God allowed me to make a plan and see it through. He gave me the determination to do the work and go against the norm,” she continued. “He led me to a wonderful team. He blessed us with a low-risk pregnancy, an uncomplicated birth, and a healthy baby. He allowed the timing to be perfect and my loved ones to be present through it all. He blessed me with an amazing husband and baby daddy that has supported my every wish through pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Thank you, God!”
Related: San Francisco 49ers Chaplain Prays for ‘Victory’ in Players’ Lives
Through his faith in God, the running back continues to put his identity and find his purpose in Christ. Because of Jesus’ death on the cross, he chooses to live for Christ each day.
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