Former NFL Star Payton Hillis Cried Out to God Amid Near-Death Accident
By Movieguide® Contributor
In an interview on LITTLE ROCK TOUCHDOWN CLUB, former Denver Broncos fullback Peyton Hillis recalled how he cried out to God during a swimming accident that almost killed him, his son and his niece.
In January, Hillis and his family were spending what was supposed to be a fun day at the beach off the coast of Pensacola. It turned into a near tragedy when his nine-year-old son and niece got swept away in a rip current.
Hillis rushed in after them, where he had to make the heart-wrenching choice to go after his niece first, who was in more danger.
“So, I hit up the beach and hit the water, and the worst feeling of my life was that I had to pass up my son because my brother’s daughter’s further out. And I knew that, you know, she’s a little younger that she couldn’t take it,” Hillis teared up as he recalled that day.
After bringing his niece to safety, he went back to rescue his son, but by then, his son was limp, and Hillis called out to God as he brought him back to shore.
“I’m sitting there holding him, and I said, ‘Well, you know, I’m not gonna make it. I said, Yahweh, please save my son. I don’t care what happens after that,’” the father-of-two said.
His son began to recover as they made it out of the rip current, but Hillis passed out once he made it to shore. He suffered damage to his lungs and kidneys but was on the road to recovery after a two-week hospital stay.
Hillis believes that God used the near-fatal accident to show him His grace and to seek the positive in any difficult situation.
“[Y]ou can find the good in all things. Even all the bad. And those bad things are the ones that are supposed to make you become perfected and make you be the man that the Lord wants you to be,” Hillis said.
“Months previous to that, I was not in a good spot anyway, but I found out that the Lord loves you no matter what you do…I know that no matter what, what I do in my life, what sin I commit, it will never take me away from Him,” the 37-year-old added.
Hillis told GOOD MORNING AMERICA that the incident also taught him the significance of family and friendship.
“It makes you realize what’s really important. If you’re not here for your loved ones, your family, your friends, why are you here?” he said.
Hillis shared his gratitude to those who prayed for his recovery and those who saved his life, as Movieguide® reported:
Hillis wrote in a recent Twitter post, “I did want to come on here and show
my appreciation for everyone who helped save my life and for all of your prayers and love and support. I left the hospital with no worries and concerns and should make a 100% recovery.”
“I’m a very lucky and blessed man,” he added. “Yahweh has really blessed me, and I am very thankful.”
He reported that his son and niece are doing well, saying, “Thankfully, it’s like nothing ever happened.”
Hillis retired from football in 2015 due to physical injuries and burnout, admitting, “I didn’t care as much anymore. I didn’t care to work at it. Football brought me down. I still love the game, and I still have a lot of friends in the game, but as far as NFL football goes, my heart’s just not in it anymore.”
The former running back said that there was a time he was “mad at the world,” but God used that season in his life to realign his priorities.
“I put my faith in the world, and the world let me down. And I should have known that. The world’s always going to let you down. Put your faith in God,” Hillis said.
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