Popular actor and outspoken Christian Chris Pratt recently shared on social media about how God used his Christian music playlist to lift him out of a state of depression, after receiving criticism for an earlier Instagram post about his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger Pratt, and daughter, Lyla Maria.
“We met in church. She’s given me an amazing life, a gorgeous healthy daughter,” Pratt posted on Instagram last week, speaking of his wife and his one year-old daughter.
Pratt also has a nine year-old son, Jack, whom he had with his then-wife Anna Farris. Jack was born two months premature, which has caused some ongoing health issues. In Farris’ memoir, she wrote, “The pediatric neurosurgeon sat Chris and me down to tell us that Jack had some severe brain bleeding and there was a chance that he could be developmentally disabled.”
Some were quick to try and cancel Pratt for his post, calling Pratt’s reference to his “healthy daughter” an insult to his son.
“I love Chris Pratt. but the ‘healthy daughter’ part made me wince,” one Twitter follower wrote. “Although he may not have meant it as an insult, it sort of came off that way. Imagine how that will make his son feel, if he ever reads it?”
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Another said, “I feel bad for his son. He could have just said she gave me a beautiful daughter. He didn’t have to say beautiful HEALTHY daughter. Ugh. Sad.”
However, not everyone had issues with Pratt’s statement. One Twitter follower said, “Don’t you people have anything else to do besides criticize every little thing that people say. (sic) Mind your own beeswax!”
A couple days later, Pratt posted a video on Instagram, saying that the criticism put him in an “upset” and “depressed” mood. Pratt shared that the mood carried into the next morning. He said that he didn’t want to do his daily work out, but he knew that if he listened to some Christian music, it would make him feel better.
“I knew though that, if I put on my Christian music playlist and got out in the woods and ran that I’d feel better,” Pratt said. “But I just didn’t want to.”
Pratt ended up going for a run anyway. “Gosh, was I right. It felt amazing,” he said. “I got out in the woods [and] got my blood pumping, and God sat down there right next to me.”
“I say this as a guy who [doesn’t] get emotional that often, but I actually got emotional out in the woods,” Pratt shared. Referencing the lyrics from Hillsong United’s “Another in the Fire,” Pratt said, “I just felt like there was another in the fire standing next to me. That was the song…that moment — it really captured me. I just want to say all glory to God.”
Pratt gave everyone a word of encouragement, saying, “If you feel down today — Maybe get an exercise [in] and listen to some good worship music or get the Word in, cause it really helped me this morning.”
Maria Shriver stood by her son-in-law, replying to the much maligned Instagram post, “I want to remind you today what a good man you are what a great father you are to Jack and Lyla what a great husband you are to Katherine what a great son in law you are to me and what a great sense of humor you have !! (sic) I love you Chris keep being your wonderful self rise above the noise your kids love your family loves you your wife loves you what a beautiful life I’m proud of you xo. (sic)”
When his daughter Lyla was born, Pratt posted Psalm 126:3 and Psalm 127:3-4 on his social media channels, telling the world that his family was “extremely blessed.”