Isaiah 53:6 We all have wandered away like sheep; each of us has gone his own way. But the Lord has put on him the punishment for all the evil we have done.
He was known for being the first guy to the party and the last one to leave. He was known as having a “me-first” view of life and used performance-enhancing drugs.
Now, Steven Souza, Jr. is a completely new man and he credits it all to God.
Souza was drafted by the Washington Nationals and given a $350,000 signing bonus. He used the money for partying, drinking and taking home any woman he could land “without caring about baseball.”
“I was living the life you see on TV,” Souza told The Tampa Bay Times. “Everyone’s got big cars, money, alcohol, women all around them… Everyone is looking at this guy because he’s got all this and that’s what I wanted to be.”
Souza then was busted for drugs because of the ADHD drug Concerta. Even after the 50 game suspension that came down from Major League Baseball, he still didn’t change.
“I still didn’t do the right things,” Souza said. “I was in a bad place trying to fill the void because I didn’t have baseball— a lot of going out, a lot of drinking, a lot of working out.”
After Souza discovered his girlfriend had an affair with another player, he spiraled into depression. He considered walking away from his dream of being a major league baseball player because he just couldn’t see any point to life.
That’s when a friend at a wedding suggested he could find what he was looking for in Jesus. He accepted an invite from a former MLB player to a church.
“It was one of those moments where you don’t know what to expect,” Souza described. “There was definitely a little anxiety. But as soon as I walked into church, it was comfort. Everyone there was welcoming me. And as soon as the message started being preached, it was just a release. I could feel the Lord moving… It was like, ‘Lord, I’m coming after you.’ And, what a blessing that it was that He answered.”
Within a month, Souza accepted Christ and was baptized.
Those who knew him saw an immediate change. His friends and fellow players saw a change although it took time to win them over.
“The Bible says consider it a joy, brothers, when you go through suffering because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance character and character joy,” Souza said. “These trials I have gone through, I wouldn’t be the man I am today without going through them. Obviously the damage I did to people around me and to my family, I wish I could take that back. But what I went through, I can appreciate. God took me through that and made me the man I am today.”
