'I Just Had To Know the Lord': How 'The Middle' Actor Atticus Shaffer Came to Christ
05-22-2018
After nine years as one of the stars of ABC's popular sitcom "The Middle," 19-year-old actor Atticus Shaffer is saying goodbye to the show and sharing the scoop on his personal spiritual journey.
Shaffer has always been open about his faith and how he has come to know the Lord through his life while suffering a painful genetic disorder he was born with known as osteogensis imperfecta.
Shaffer was born with the diagnosis of easily broken bones, but he says he didn't find the Lord until he became a teenager and eventually getting baptized in 2015.
"I really committed to Christianity when I was 15," Shaffer revealed on Pureflix.com's 'Pure Talk.' "I just knew I had that draw to say, 'I need to know the Lord. I need to know where I stand."
Shaffer grew up in a Christian home but said his mom always left him the opportunity to grow his relationship with God on his own. He said it was through endless surgeries and intense pain that he turned to God most.
"It's helped me to be more empathetic and be more compassionate," he said. "You get placed in situations where you have to depend on God."
Shaffer went on to share how important his faith became in the world of Hollywood and his journey as an actor and standing up for his beliefs.
"I've never been one to Bible thump...but I do know there is a difference between right and wrong," he said. "After I became a Christian and started standing up for my beliefs. a lot of the other crew who weren't open about their faith started to speak up and talk about it too. So we all came together and supported each other."
"In secular TV, it is risky. I've worked with people who as soon as they find out I'm a Christian they treat me different," he continued. "But we became a community and prayed for each other, vented to each other and were there for each other whatever it may be."
Shaffer also credited the show's success to the moral foundation of the writers, cast and crew and their ability to tell real-life stories in a family-friendly manner.
"It was really sticking to the morals and a lot of the storylines were based on things that the writers went through themselves," he said.
"The Middle" aired its series finale in May.
