What a great idea from 49ers offensive lineman

"Every day I do a 5 minute meditation of gratitude to just thank God for everything."

On a lot of teams, I’ve had incredible experiences where we had these like all-star chapels; wherever we travel they seem to bring in some of the best of the best to talk to us. It’s just been unbelievable, or they bring in former NFL Pro Bowlers and share their testimonies. So it’s been a real blessing to my faith,” he said.

Sharing his testimony and journey with Christ is often how Garland connects with teammates. He believes sharing about his faith in Jesus is an important part of being a Christian and encouraging others.

“You get those connections where a lot of times you didn’t expect it. Somebody shares what they went through and then you have that connection of like, ‘I’ve been through that. I understand where you’re coming from,’ and it draws them closer in a sense,” he says. “A lot of times that really makes you draw closer to the Lord.”

In growing closer to God this year through his gratitude meditations, Garland is finding grace in not being perfect.

“You look at the Bible and you see the heroes of the Bible and they messed up in so many ways. You look at Saul, he was persecuting Christians all throughout, and then he literally wrote half the Bible,” Garland said. “There are so many people who worry about, ‘Oh, what I’ve done, I’ve gone too far. Or I haven’t done enough.’ Look at the Bible, man. He took the people that you never expected and had them change the world.

“So He can use you to do some incredible things. It’s like me, I’m a Christian but I continue to mess up every day.”