On Jan. 23, 2014, Bieber was arrested in Florida for drag racing on a Miami Beach street in a yellow Lamborghini and failing a sobriety test. He was later charged with driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with a suspended license.
“All this to say God has brought me a long way,” Bieber continued in his post. “From then til now I do realize something.. God was as close to me then as he is right now. My encouragement to you is to ‘let your past be a reminder of how far god has brought you. Don’t allow shame to ruin your “today” let the forgiveness of Jesus take over and watch your life blossom into all that God has designed you to be.”
Following the arrest, Bieber was able to avoid jail time by pleading guilty to a lesser charge of reckless driving. The singer also made a charitable donation and agreed to take anger management classes.
This isn’t the first time Bieber has reflected on his past arrest. In 2017, the singer wrote on Instagram that he had done a lot of growing up since his DUI.
“I LOVE THIS because it reminds me IM NOT EXACTLY WHERE I WANT TO BE BUT THANK GOD IM NOT WHERE I USED TO BE!! THE BEST IS YET TO COME DO YOU BELIEVE IT?” he captioned a side-by-side picture of his mugshot and a current selfie.
See Bieber’s latest reflective Instagram post here.