How Kathie Lee Gifford Finds Joy in Thessalonians
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former TODAY show host and Teddy Bear Award® recipient Kathie Lee Gifford is sharing what leads to happiness and a stable relationship with God — joy, prayer and kindness.
“The key to happiness at any stage in your life is joy,” Gifford told Women’s World this month.
“There are a lot of circumstances that we can’t do anything about, that’s why our life is supposed to be a prayer,” Gifford said. “Thessalonians talks about praying without ceasing. How do we do that? Our life is a prayer to God and it’s the only thing that makes sense. I’ve been doing it since I was 12 years old and the only times I’ve gotten really screwed up is when I stopped doing it.”
Gifford just wrote Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior, which releases on July 16. It’s the first book in her series, Ancient Evil, Living Hope.
“My fascination with Herod goes back my first rabbinical trip,” she said of visiting Isreal. “We believe that Jesus’ story is the greatest ever told. Well, Herod is the greatest story never told, unless you are some sort of a scholar.”
“My son, Cody, found this fantastic co-author for me [Brian M. Litfin, PhD], and Cody suggested a series of different books called Ancient Evil, Living Hope,” she said. “The next one, I think, will be Nero and Paul. There’s always been evil, but there’s always been God’s presence in the world as well.”
She calls the evil king’s life unknown and fascinating.
“I must give my co-author Brian so much credit because he’s written books of his own,” Gifford adds. “Cody steered us, ‘Keep it a thriller, keep the narrative going, don’t get too lost in the minutiae.’ That’s the key. Keep the story thrilling. It’s a page-turner.”
Gifford will soon host a TV show about miracles on the Angel network, and she just starred in THE BAXTERS with her daughter, Cassidy.
She makes time between her projects for her three grandchildren, who call her Bubbe.
“I like to make songs up for my grandchildren,” she said. “I get them laughing every time. I sing ‘poopy’ songs to my grandsons!”
Movieguide® reported last month:
Between her two children, Gifford has three grandsons: Frank, 2, Ford, 6 months, and Finn, 11 months.
“Little Frankie, named after his grandfather, is doing gymnastics at an age 4 level. He just turned 2 two days ago. And Finnie, Finnie is Cassidy’s little boy, we call him Fincent Churchill because he looks like Winston Churchill. He’s just funny. I’m loving it,” Gifford shared.
The 70-year-old has been an actress, singer, author, mother, wife and television personality. She was married to former NFL player and sportscaster Frank Gifford, who passed in 2015.
“I had my turn at a lot of things,” she says. “I like to keep an attitude of gratitude, and know that each day is full of surprises.”
When her children were 4 and 7, Frank had an affair. She thought about her children and how they needed a father, and she forgave him.
“Immediately forgive because love cannot live where hate does,” she told ET Online.
After Frank passed, Gifford started to date again. But in April, she told PEOPLE she’s single.
She said, “I was in a relationship for several years that just ended recently. And you know, it’s always hard because when you love someone, you love someone deeply. It’s something you miss when it doesn’t last.”
She looks back at how she used to view herself and wishes she appreciated her body more.
“Everybody is at a different stage in their life. I look at old pictures of myself and I had such a bikini bod — and I thought I was fat back then. Now I look at those pictures and I go, ‘I want that body back,’” she laughed.
But it’s easy to accept yourself at any age if you “live close to Jesus,” she said. “It’s how you define yourself. If you let the world define you, you’re going to be a bag of bones.”
“You are going to have the root of bitterness,” she continued. You’re going to be sick. You’re going to treat people unkindly, but if you have the living water in you, if you are a stream of living water like the Lord wants us to be, there’s a great beauty that is evident.”
To Gifford, some of the best things one can do in life are being joyful and sharing with others “who have less than you do.”
“That is such a template for how to live a Godly life,” she said. “I love the scripture that says, ‘What does your God require of you? Be kind. Love mercy and walk humbly with your God,’” she said.
“I try to do that. I have a choice today. I can choose to be kind, or I can choose to be snarky,” Gifford said.
Gifford knows it doesn’t matter what’s on the outside, it’s the heart that matters.
“[Someone can look] like the most beautiful super model in the world and it doesn’t matter if she’s got a cruel heart. I try to be kind. I try not to leave my house if I can’t be a blessing because the world doesn’t need any more burdens,” she said.
“Jesus was so merciful and all we see these days is cruelty and no mercy,” she said. “Mercy is a beautiful thing. I want to be that person.”
She believes the key to a better world is more kindness.
“When I was growing up, cruelty was unusual, and kindness was everywhere,” she said. “Now it’s turned around the other way. There’s cruelty everywhere and when I see a kindness, it moves me to tears because it’s so rare. Living in the South, I do see more of it down here.”
When asked how she finds joy and peace she told Women’s World, “I don’t know the answer, except his name is Jesus.”