After the Atlanta Falcons released running back Nathan Carter, the athlete reflected on what each of us should do when “life hurts.”
“Either we take the road of cynicism, withdrawing from openheartedness with God and others, retreating into the felt safety of holding back our desires and longings, lest they get hurt again, or we press into greater depth with God than we have ever known,” he posted on Instagram, quoting Dane Ortlund in his book Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners.
“Either we smirk at what we said we believed about God’s sovereignty and goodness, thinking that what we believed has just been disproven, or we put even more weight on our theology,” Carter continued quoting Ortlund. “The two circles of professed theology and heart theology, to that point distinct, are forced either to move farther away than ever or to perfectly overlap.”
“Either we put all our weight on our theology, or we let our hearts calcify and harden. Either we let the divine physician continue the operation, or we insist on being wheeled out of the operating room. But pain does not let us go on as before,” the quote concluded.
Related: Michigan State RB Nathan Carter Wants People to ‘Know About Jesus’
Last Tuesday, FalconsWire reported that Carter had been signed to the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad.
According to NBC Sports, Carter was an undrafted free agent last season but appeared in “seven games for Atlanta. He carried the ball nine times for 60 yards and lost a fumble in 2025. With the emergence of Tyler Goodson as a viable depth option in the running back room, the Falcons jettison Carter heading into final cuts.”
Before he was picked up by the Falcons, Carter played at Michigan State where he was a 12-game starter and rushed for a “team-leading 798 yards and four touchdowns. He split carries in 2024, resulting in 499 yards rushing and five touchdowns,” A to Z Sports reported.
“Nathan Carter has played Power 5 football and has been very productive,” Michigan State then-head coach Mel Tucker said of Carter when he first transferred to the team. “He established himself as a dude immediately in the weight room, similar to what Ken Walker did. It’s super competitive in there. Guys are gonna have to compete to get on the field – they’re gonna have to compete for spots on special teams.”
Just like he did in Atlanta, Carter will continue to keep his faith, work hard on the field and let God handle the rest.
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