'The Shack' Star Sam Worthington Shares His Faith Journey, Says He Came To God 'By Choice'

Sam Worthington as Mack (second from left) in a scene from 'The Shack' together with Avraham Aviv Alush as Jesus (left), Octavia Spencer as Papa (third from left) and Sumire Matsubara as Sarayu (right). (Facebook/The Shack)

Some people are fortunate enough to have grown up with a good Christian background, but actor Sam Worthington, who starred in "The Shack," said he actually came to his faith very late in life.

Worthington grew up in Australia, and it was only when he reached adulthood that God was introduced to him. "I came to my faith very late," he told CBN News. "I was about in my 20s when I was given a Bible to read by a friend, to tell me to calm down."

"It was never something that was put upon me as a kid. It is something I have been journeying on by choice," he said.

Worthington's faith journey had not been easy, since his life was a mess prior to making it big in Hollywood. He was a college dropout without any plans for his future, so his father gave him $400 and a one-way ticket to the opposite side of the country.

"Work your way back home and grow up a bit," his father told him.

Worthington said he understood his father's motive. "I didn't know what to do with my life, and my dad didn't want me sitting around watching TV, and wasting this precious gift," he said.

The tough love worked, because Worthington enjoyed a successful acting career in Australia when he moved out. However, he was not happy with his success. Worthington then sold all of his possessions and lived in his car temporarily.

"I had a solid career in Australia, making movies. But I looked around at everything that I owned and felt that it was defining me, and I didn't like who it was defining and what it was saying," he shared. "I looked in the mirror one day, and I decided I didn't like what I saw, so I thought I'd sell the mirror."

During that time, Worthington had a lot of questions about life, and his questions brought him to God. "When I reached out to God, I found someone who listened for the first time. And He wasn't judgmental," he recalled. "And I may not have gotten the answers back, but I had a comforting ear."

"So, when I reached out and I am sitting in the back of a car in the middle of the snow, angry at everything, what I got back was, 'It is OK.' And that love helps you through it," he added.

Now, Worthington is enjoying a thriving career in Hollywood, not to mention a happy personal life with his wife, Lara Bingle Worthington. They have two kids together, reported PEOPLE.

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