Some people may not be aware of this, but Aaron Rodgers is in fact a Christian. He hasn’t been very exuberant of his faith and proclaiming it as much as guys like Tim Tebow have in the past. Rodgers tends to stay away from the media in general as much as he can. He doesn’t want to put himself in the spotlight and let the focus be on him.
Rodgers’ faith started with his parents. He always looked up to them as Godly examples and it was from them that he knew more about Christ.
“I grew up knowing what a stable relationship was by my parents’ example and how it centered on Christ,” Rodgers said, “When our family had its ups and downs, I knew my parents relied on God for everything and He always got us through those rough spots.” (Credit: Beyond the Ultimate)
There was a time early in his life when Rodgers had drifted away from his faith. Luckily for him, he had two mentors that put him on the right path: Andrew Burchett, his youth pastor and Matt Hock the leader of his old youth group “Young Life.” God always puts other people in our life to help us follow Him. He works through these role models so that we can have a better understanding of who God really is. Because of these two men, Aaron Rodgers dedicated his life to Christ when he was 16 years old.
Since then, Rodgers has been a phenomenal quarterback for the Green Bay Packers. I loved this guy before I knew he was a Christian because he had to replace a legend in Brett Favre and he did it well. He had to wait three years to get his chance to start, but when he did, Rodgers threw for over 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns in his first season as a starter and had a 93.8 passer rating. Then in 2010, the Green Bay Packers defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl and Rodgers took home the Super Bowl MVP. The very next season, he won the NFL MVP award after putting up 4,643 passing yards and 45 passing touchdowns, while only throwing six picks. It’s still a NFL record of a 3.62 touchdown to interception ratio. Rodgers also holds the record for the best career passer rating in NFL history with 104.9. He is also the only quarterback in NFL history to have a passer rating over 100 in both the regular season and the postseason. As of right now, the 30-year-old veteran has 188 touchdown passes and has thrown for over 24,000 yards in his career. In other words, he’s pretty good.
Even with all of these great things happening to him, Rodgers stays quiet during the off season and never brings any attention to himself. When given the opportunity, he always gives the glory to God.
“I feel like my stance and my desire has always been to follow a quote from St. Francis of Assisi, who said, ‘Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.’ So basically, I’m not an over-the-top, or an in-your-face kind of guy with my faith,” Rodgers said. “I would rather people have questions about why I act the way I act, whether they view it as positive or not, and ask questions, and then given an opportunity at some point, then you can talk about your faith a little bit.”
Rodgers is the kind of man whose actions speak louder than words. He never talks down to anyone or makes himself known in the media. He has always remained honest and true to his heart. Rodgers also understands that Christianity is not a religion, but a relationship.
“I try to build relationships,” Rodgers said. “I feel if you are not personally invested in the people you spend every day with, then you are missing out on building a relationship and wonderful life experiences. That is what I like about Jesus: Jesus is about relationships.”
Rodgers is also a big contributor to charities and humanitarian efforts around the world. He is the founder of his own charity called itsAaron, which raises awareness for organizations and people who are changing the world. Once again, he shows through his actions that the focus is not on him, but the people who physically help others everywhere they go. He is also a big supporter of the MACC Fund (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer) and RAISE Hope for Congo. Rodgers is a great role model to young athletes and kids everywhere. He shows them that life is more than just football and putting up big numbers on the field, it’s about Jesus Christ and serving Him and Him alone. Rodgers’ favorite Bible verse is John 10:10 which says,
“I have come in order that you might have life—life in all its fullness.” Rodgers summarizes, “The Lord is my Rock. He has always been there, always present at good times and bad; and to me when I feel His presence, my life is full.”