- Content: Kathie Lee Gifford on Purpose: ‘Happiest’ Doing What God Created Us For
By Movieguide® Contributor
TV personality, singer and author Kathie Lee Gifford learned early on that faith in God was central to all her life pursuits—creative or otherwise.
“I take great note of my dreams. The Lord says, ‘If you seek Me first and My righteousness, everything else will be added unto you.’ He says, ‘You know Me. Delight in Me, and I will give you the desires of your heart,’” Gifford said on the “Jesus Calling” podcast.
Gifford states that even though trusting God does not guarantee a carefree and easy path in the believer’s pursuit of His plan, it is where one finds the most fulfillment.
“I believe we are at our happiest in life when we’re doing exactly what God created us to do. When we’re not, is when we fall into the pitfalls, and when we fall into the despair and the discouragement,” she said.
The mother of two has passed on the lesson her father gave her: “My dad used to say to me, ‘Honey, I love you too much to deny you the privilege of making mistakes.’”
Gifford draws parallels from her father’s words to God’s relationship with His children.
“I wrote in a musical I wrote later that went to Broadway, ‘God is bigger than any mistake you will ever make,’” she recalled. “He forgives, and He doesn’t just forgive, but He forgets. There is no condemnation in Christ, so I live in that space.”
Not only does she have a passion for using her platform to share the gospel, but she also has a passion for a deeper understanding of the Bible. Even as a 17-year-old, instead of attending her high school graduation like most of her peers, she attended the Jerusalem Conference on Biblical Prophecy as a graduation gift.
“I never dreamed that I would ever get to the Holy Land, much less go regularly now, and study with the most incredible Bible teachers in the world and write books about it; not because of my knowledge but of what they have shared with me that I think is so life-transforming,” Gifford said.
Last year she and Rabbi Jason Sobel released the book “The God Of The Way,” which she described on her Instagram as “the stories of key Biblical figures and how they continue to shape us all today. Merging the ancient with the modern, we analyze the story of God’s plan for mankind with historical and cultural insights.”
Of her many trips to Israel, another one that stands out was with her late husband of nearly thirty years, Frank Gifford— who grew up Christian but had a deeper relationship with Christ and a greater spiritual hunger after the trip.
“He came back a completely different human being. After that, he would say to me, as he was getting older and older, he’d say, ‘You know what, Kath, I’m not afraid of dying. I’m starting to get really curious. Starting to get really curious.’” Gifford said.
A special memento they brought back from their trip was a stone from the Brook Elah, where David picked five stones, one of which would slay the giant Goliath. Gifford recalled giving both her children, Cassidy and Cody, a stone as a graduation gift as a reminder of the impact they are called to have on the world.
“And if you ever leave a legacy for your children, let it be that you’ve taught them friendship with God,” she told the audience on the TODAY show when she paid tribute to her late husband. “And you’ve taught them to find their stone and show it, show it. Throw it hard and well and transform this hurting world that needs God’s love so much.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Gifford:
Veteran actress, television host, and author Kathie Lee Gifford has had a successful career in entertainment. But the 67-year-old feels like the future is bright as she solidifies her entertaining prowess with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
“I am finally doing what I was born to do,” Gifford told Variety in a recent interview. “There’s a happiness in me now, just when so many other people are retiring and doing whatever they’ve always longed to do. I never stopped doing what I was born to do, but now I have the freedom to totally and completely pursue it…”
Despite Giffords success and colorful career, faith remains at the center of her life. Gifford’s life shows that she puts her faith in God and not her job, whether it’s singing or hosting.
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