The New York Mets player who missed the first two games of the season to witness the birth of his son shared a striking message Monday about life's priorities when it comes to faith, marriage and fatherhood.

"As a man I like to compartmentalize things … what we try to do is we try to take Jesus Christ and we try to put him right in the center of everything," second baseman Daniel Murphy said at a White House event for working dads. "So, instead of, 'I'm a father, I'm a husband, I'm a baseball player,' I just try to take Jesus and put him right in the middle."

Murphy said he isn't perfect: "I fail miserably a lot of times at it, but it is something that has helped us both as we go forward."

Watch a portion of his speech below:

Murphy's speech came after he sparked debate -- and drew the wrath of some sports commentators -- in April when he missed opening day to be present for his son Noah's birth.

In an interview with NBC's "Today" on Monday, he said that missing the birth was never a consideration and that his fellow Mets players supported him.

"That never crossed, I don’t think, my mind or her mind," Murphy said.

Watch the player discuss his paternity leave below: