Justin Bieber is reflecting on his 2014 DUI arrest and how much he’s grown since then, all thanks to God.
The pop star posted an old photo of himself in handcuffs on Instagram on Saturday, writing, “7 years ago today I was arrested, not my finest hour. Not proud of where I was at in my life. I was hurting, unhappy, confused, angry, mislead, misunderstood and angry at god.” He then joked that he “also wore too much leather for someone in Miami,” referring to the baggy, calf-length leather shorts he’s wearing in the photo.
“All this to say God has brought me a long way,” Bieber continued. “From then til now I do realize something.. God was as close to me then as he is right now. My encouragement to you is to ‘let your past be a reminder of how far god has brought you. Don’t allow shame to ruin your ‘today’ let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be. LOVE YOU GUYS WITH MY WHOLE HEART.”
In 2014, the singer was arrested in Miami and charged with a DUI, no valid driver’s license out of the state of Georgia, and resisting arrest without violence. After his rented Lamborghini was pulled over, he also told police that he had been smoking marijuana and taken prescription pills. At the time, Bieber was also under investigation for throwing eggs at a neighbor’s house.
This isn’t the first time Bieber has spoken candidly about his past and his regrets. In September 2019, he wrote another lengthy Instagram post discussing how fame turned his life upside down. “Everyone did everything for me so I never even learned the fundamentals of responsibility,” he explained. “So by this point I was 18 with no skills in the real world, with millions of dollars and access to whatever I wanted. This is a very scary concept for anyone. By 20 I made every bad decision you could have thought of and went from one of the most loved and adored people in the world to the most ridiculed, judged and hated person in the world!” He goes on to credit marriage with teaching him how to be a good man, before concluding, “even when the odds are against you keep fighting Jesus loves you…BE KIND TODAY BE BOLD TODAY AND LOVE PEOPLE TODAY NOT BY YOUR STANDARDS BUT BY GODS PERFECT UNFAILING LOVE.”
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