Kathy Ireland Talks Faith Journey: ‘I Love Jesus. I Want To Follow Him’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former model Kathy Ireland recently shared the moment she became a Christian and how faith has changed her life.
“Late at night, out of jetlag and boredom, I realized my mom had packed a Bible in my suitcase,” Ireland said while appearing on ERIC METAXAS ON TBN, referring to a modeling trip to Paris she took when she was just 18.
Ireland continued, “My mom had just become Christian, from a woman at nursing school. Never read a Bible in my life, didn’t know how to read it. I was a rebellious teenager, questioning who really knows what’s right.”
She opened the Bible to the Gospel of Matthew and began reading.
“I knew that what I was holding in my hands was the truth,” Ireland said of that moment. “And there was no one in that room with me telling me, you know, ‘Be this denomination or that denomination.’ It was just, ‘I love Jesus. I want to follow Him,’ and He became my Lord and Savior and best friend.”
She continued, “That relationship gave me the courage to walk away from situations that were not right. It gave me—in that situation where I was—it gave me the opportunity to rebel against unhealthy situations, like, ‘No, I’m not going to your party!’”
Ireland frequently talks about her faith journey and how it has impacted her.
“The most important relationship in my life is with Jesus, and though I became a Christian at 18…I am so grateful that God is so patient and so gracious,” she told Fox News. “Without Him, I don’t know. I certainly wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t be anywhere. His love is unconditional, and it’s there for anyone to receive it. He’s there with open arms for everybody.”
Ireland has also shared one of the Bible verses that she often returns to as she reflects on being a “slow learner” in her faith.
“I got saved at 18 because my mom packed a Bible in my suitcase without telling me. She had just become a Christian,” she told The Christian Post. “But I was such a slow learner because I was 44 before I finally read the Bible in its entirety, and it was bittersweet.”
Ireland shared that one of her favorite verses is Joel 2:25—“I will restore the years the locusts have eaten.”
“I felt like I wasted so much time, but God is so good. He redeems,” she concluded.
Movieguide® previously reported on Ireland’s pursuit of faith and study of the Bible:
Ireland began to read more, but she confessed that studying and understanding the Bible was not easy. Even as her modeling and acting career took off, Ireland was determined to have the Bible be at the center of her identity.
“Some things I would read and really love,” Ireland said. “And other things, I would read and say, ‘Oh, that must be a typo. That’s a different interpretation or a cultural thing. Certainly doesn’t pertain to me.’ So I was picking and choosing what I liked and neglecting the rest of it. I was trying to mold God into what I wanted him to be, rather than just surrendering and letting him make me into the person he made me to be. And oh my goodness, He was so patient. I was 44 when I finally read the whole Bible. It continues to teach me every day.
“Today, I have three children, a husband and a business,” Ireland added. “The message that I just felt pounding in my heart was, ‘Put Me first. And I’ll give you more time, better time with your kids.’ So I started to set my alarm for 15 minutes [every morning] for a quick prayer. Those 10 minutes of prayer and reading turned into an hour and more. It’s not a duty. It’s a joy. It’s my daily bread and water.”
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