Actor Shia LaBeouf had a surprising shout-out during his acceptance speech at the Hollywood Film Awards. LaBeouf won the Hollywood Breakthrough Award for his film Honey Boy, which he wrote and directed, based on his history as a child star. As a mea culpa for his previous bad behavior, LaBeouf included the following acknowledgement: “I want to thank the police officer who arrested me in Georgia for changing my life,” said LaBeouf. “[and] my therapist and my sponsor for saving my life.”

He was referring to an incident in 2017 where he was arrested for public drunkenness in Savannah, Ga. Paparazzi caught footage of him lashing out at officers with a lewd, profanity-laced tirade. In an interview with Esquire, he was frank about his response:

“What went on in Georgia was mortifying. White privilege and desperation and disaster… It came from a place of self-centered delusion … It was me trying to absolve myself of guilt for getting arrested.”

According to LaBeouf, the fallout from the arrest drove him to pursue sobriety more seriously, which drove him to seek help for his addictions.

Possible Preaching Angles: It's a mark of maturity to not only appreciate discipline, but to take time to give thanks for it, because the discipline of God is not proof of God's disdain for us, but of His love for us.