A Love Beyond Our Dreams: Jen Lilley & Christian and Sadie Robertson Huff
Jen Lilley: When you pray, by nature, you are connecting with God and you’re reminded that you aren’t alone. That doesn’t mean that we don’t go through seasons where it feels like God’s not with you, we all face that. I mean, we all have a season where you’re like, God, do you hear me? Are you listening? Do you see me? But He always sees you.
A Love Beyond Our Dreams: Jen Lilley & Christian and Sadie Robertson Huff – Episode #394
Narrator: Welcome to the Jesus Calling Podcast. God’s love transcends human understanding and surpasses any love we could envision for ourselves. It is pure, unconditional, and ceaseless, unlike human love, which can be influenced by imperfection and self-interest. This divine love serves as an unfaltering source of comfort, healing, and transformation, exceeding any form of love we could dream of in its depth, breadth, and constancy.
You may recognize actress Jen Lilley from her appearances on Criminal Minds, General Hospital, Days Of Our Lives, and several Hallmark and Great American Family movies. Her road to becoming an actress had its fair share of challenges, but her faith that God cared about the outcomes of her decisions kept her pushing forward. Authors and influencers Christian and Sadie Huff have learned firsthand that their relationships with friends, family, and as husband and wife dramatically improve when Christ’s love is at the center.
Let’s begin with Jen’s story.
Jen Lilley: My name is Jen Lilley and I am a lover of Jesus, an actress, a mama, and a child advocate.
Falling in Love with Acting
I kind of always had an interest in the arts, but I also was not a theater kid. I went to the University of Virginia, and I just started taking classes on things I was interested in. And one semester I took an acting class for fun, kind of like an elective, and then I started praying about it and I was like, “Lord, I really love film. I really love the camera.”
I moved to Hollywood, and I started taking casting director workshops, which are these incredible things, that’s how I booked Criminal Minds. It was my very first role. I booked General Hospital. I ended up booking the role of Maxie Jones, which was an emergency recast for Kirsten Storms, and it was supposed to be three weeks, and it ended up being eleven and a half months. And then because I booked that, I caught the attention of Days of Our Lives.
I didn’t want to do it. I was like, I don’t like soap operas. And my manager—who thank God is also Christian—called me and he said, “You know, to quote you to you”—because I’m always preaching at him—“Have you prayed about it?”
This role, Theresa Donovan, the description was like, “She’s into one night stands, she does cocaine off of people’s backs.” I was like, This does not make sense. And I said “What is there to pray about, Mitch? How on earth am I going to explain this to Christians? How am I supposed to justify this role?” And he goes, “Well, I guess it’s going to be a very quick prayer.” And I said, “I guess it’s going to be then. Okay, fine.” So I hung up and I said, “I’ll call you back in five minutes.”
I was driving, and I knew this was God. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “This is your role.” Before I even started praying. And I was like, “That doesn’t make sense. Why is this my role?” And this is the part that always makes me cry, because it was such a holy moment, and God is so kind. And He said, “Because Theresa is the exact condition that the world was in when I sent my Son to die for them, and the audience needs to know there is no pit so deep that my love cannot find them still. And there is no time in your life, if you were alive, that you were beyond redemption. And I need a Christian to play this role.” Because they do this funny thing in soap operas where they hold the camera on you at the end, and any other actress, after the one night stand or after the drugs, is going to play that moment as if she’s truly satisfied and as if she is so cool, but [God said], “You’re going to play the truth of how that girl really feels, but it did not fill her, and it did not satisfy her, because what she was truly looking for is Jesus.”
I was like, Shoot! So I called up my manager and I was like, “Alright, let’s go in.”
Jen’s Battle with Bulimia
It’s interesting because I began having an eating disorder after I knew Jesus, after I was filled with the Holy Spirit. I knew my worth, and that’s what’s scary. I knew my worth, but bulimia or any kind of addiction is a cycle.
So there were so many times I would go up for prayer and want to not be bulimic anymore. And when I would tell people, they’d be like, “Well, just stop throwing up.” And it’s not that easy.
I don’t know about you, but for me that blows open like a can of worms and exposes more things in my heart that are hidden in my spirit that I need to address. I was convinced that if I told people, they would reject me, and nobody was willing to walk through this with me. And there was kind of this real hatred of like, “How can you be a Christian and still have some sort of addiction? You’re not really a Christian,” and that’s not the truth.
So I was like, Wow, I am trusting that by being thin, I will get acting roles. I am trusting that my bulimia will keep me thin and that God can’t heal my metabolism.
And then finally, I remember telling my husband and being so scared. And my husband had the best reaction. He cried and he was like, “I’m so sorry. I had no idea. How long has this been going on and how can I help you?” It wasn’t like an overnight healing, it’s something you have to walk out, but I would say to myself, “God, I’m trusting all these things more than I’m trusting You. I don’t want to trust these things more than You.” Now I’m—I don’t know—seven years on the other side of it, but God’s amazing.
The Heart & Mind of Christ
I think that daily prayer, even as simple as just being like, “Lord, give me the mind and the heart of Christ. Take control of my day. Open my eyes to what you want me to do. You know, let me not be too busy to be your hands and feet…” which is definitely a prayer I pray a lot.
I think that tools like Jesus Calling have tons of resources, like this podcast. I think they’re always meaningful. I think anytime you are choosing to center your day around Jesus, you’re gonna get through life easier, you’re going to get through life with the fruit of the spirit, and you’re going to get through life in a way where God really is the author and finisher of your faith. It doesn’t mean hard times won’t happen, for sure, but it does mean that you will bear fruit out of hard times and that’s the difference.
“I think anytime you are choosing to center your day around Jesus, you’re gonna get through life easier, you’re going to get through life with the fruit of the spirit, and you’re going to get through life in a way where God really is the author and finisher of your faith.” – Jen Lilley
Jesus Listens on January 11th:
Ever-near Jesus,
You’ve been calling me to a life of constant communion with You.
I’m thankful that I can talk with You about every aspect of my day, including my feelings. Help me remember that my ultimate goal is not to control or fix everything around me; it’s to keep communing with You. You’ve been showing me that a successful day is one in which I have stayed in touch with You— even if many things remain undone at the end of the day.
I must not let my to-do list become an idol directing my life. Instead, I can ask Your Spirit to guide me moment by moment. He will keep me close to You.
In Your guiding Name,
Amen
Narrator: To learn more about Jen’s work, please visit www.jenlilley.com.
Stay tuned to Christian & Sadie Robertson Huff’s story after a brief message.
Give the Gift Of The Bible
It goes without saying, but the Bible has changed so many lives. Take a second to think about if you didn’t have access to a Bible or the freedom to own one. This is a reality that many are facing. That’s why I want to tell you about one of our partners, Cru [Campus Crusade for Christ]. Cru has missionaries in almost every country, and they’re seeing people come to know Jesus.
There’s just one thing they’re missing: a Bible in their own language. One missionary said, “I’ve never seen such a thirst for the Word of God in my country.”
For only $24 a month, you can provide three people with Bibles each and every month. When you sign up to provide three Bibles with a monthly gift of $24, as a thank you, Cru will provide meals to 12 hungry individuals through their humanitarian aid ministry. Plus, you’ll receive a free copy of our Jesus Listens devotional. Simply text “Calling” to 71326 to help today.
Imagine just how much this gift could change someone’s life. So text “Calling” to 71326 to help now or visit www.give.cru.org. Messaging and data rates may apply. Available to U.S. Addresses only.
Find Freedom From Anxious Thoughts
Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed by anxiety and fear? Do you long for a life of peace and contentment, even in the midst of hardship and uncertainty? Visit www.readrelief.com and download a free copy of Relief: Finding Freedom from Anxious Thoughts. In this free e-book, you’ll learn to let God’s Spirit—ever present within you—guide your steps as you learn to trust in the unfailing love and care of Jesus. Don’t miss this opportunity to find relief and embrace a life brimming with the peace of Jesus. Visit www.readrelief.com today and start your journey to freedom from anxious thoughts.
Christian Huff & Sadie Robertson Huff draw from their own relationship with Christ to share ways they put God’s love first in order to enrich their own marriage, as well as to be in good relationship with others. They recently wrote a book together, titled How to Put Love First: Find Meaningful Connection with God, Your People, and Your Community.
We Are Who We Were Created to Be
Christian Huff: My name is Christian Huff. I’m married to Sadie, who is my best friend, and a father to two girls. I have a lot of hobbies, I’m just kidding, I don’t know why I’m talking like that…
Sadie Huff: I was going to say, you are starting this podcast off pretty hilariously.
Christian: Forgive me for those listening, but I have a podcast called 4:8 Men Podcast, which I’m helping to train guys and really anyone physically and spiritually to try to be disciplined both physically and be disciplined spiritually.
Sadie: What’s up, guys? I’m Sadie and I’m married to Christian. Like he said, we have two awesome daughters, Honey James Huff and Haven Belle Huff. We do a lot of things. Ultimately, our ministry Live Original serves a purpose of pointing people to Jesus, pointing people to God, who created them to be original, beautiful designs, to be confident in who they were originally created to be.
You Don’t Have to Be a Rocket Scientist to Understand God’s Love
Christian: Everybody’s in relationships with somebody, whether it’s classmates or whatever, so it’s really just how to just be a good friend, and it’s times that we have done a good job and times where we haven’t done a good job, and trying to learn from the times where we haven’t done a good job and spill the tea on those moments.
Sadie: I think, if anything, the biggest point is your relationship with God. And if your relationship with God is first, how to put love first essentially is saying how to put God first, because if God is first, then love will flow into all your other relationships from there and it’ll bless every relationship that you touch.
“If your relationship with God is first, how to put love first essentially is saying how to put God first, because if God is first, then love will flow into all your other relationships from there and it’ll bless every relationship that you touch.” – Sadie Robertson Huff
So in the Bible, God, He talks about love all throughout the Bible, it literally explicitly says, “God is love.” And so if you’re going to get to know God, you’re getting to know love Himself. And I think that in today’s world, we have such a shallow view of love. It actually starts out in the book talking about if you picked up this book and you thought this was going to get you a girlfriend or you thought this is going to be The Bachelor, you’re going to get the final rose, you’re going to be disappointed because that’s not what we’re talking about. But if you would open your heart to realize that those things actually are not the fulfillment of love, then you’re going to actually be stepping into maybe for the first time ever, receiving love itself.
Christian: I do think that in our culture, we can just have a fleeting idea of love. It can be wishy-washy or whatever, but really, there’s something about love that’s not fleeting. It’s very real, and it endures. And something that’s, I think, super cool and it’s even just practical just from a way that we live our life, 1 Corinthians 13 and throughout the Bible, Paul is talking to us about love and really just kind of exemplifying what love is and what it should look like. And he starts it off just by saying, “Love is patient, love is kind, it is not envy, it does not boast.” And I think even just reading that, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at your life and to say, Am I being patient in this situation? Am I being kind? Am I envious of this person? Am I jealous? And I think if you can look at those things and if those things arise, you could just say, “Well, maybe I’m not being loving.”
Sadie: That’s good. So I love what you said, you know, but the greatest of these is love. See, there’s a reason we all desire love. There’s a reason we all go crazy about love and get excited about books on love. We were created to desire love. There’s something missing. So what is that? Well, I think that is love Himself, that’s God.
And so we’re just trying to put love in its rightful place, first, in your life. And when I say that, I say we’re trying to put God in His rightful place in your life, first in your life, and from that you’ll have the blessing of healthy relationships because you’ll be a healthy person.
A Date with God
Christian: So I would say the last couple of years, cultivating my relationship with God has looked very different than the way that it did a couple of years ago, and that’s not because my relationship with God has changed. It’s just because of different routines and me and Sadie have gotten married. We have two kids now who seem to never really sleep. So for us, we love to go on drives. I love to go to the gym and that’s kind of become a version of my quiet time, but if you’re listening to this and you are single, you do have a lot of free time, I just recommend whatever you like to do, I just think you should invite God into that space.
Sadie: Space with God doesn’t have to look like one certain way every time, and I think sometimes we put this high expectation on ourselves that it has to be in the morning and it has to be quiet and it has to be worship music and our Bible has to be open, and although that’s awesome, those are great times that you get to do that—I always think about those times as a date with God, those are the times that we get to actually set the table with the Lord and talk to Him, and it’s dressed up in a pretty way.
Yes, I look for those intentional moments to be with the Lord, but I’m always with the Lord. And so that looks like my drive talking to Him, turning on worshiping music, worshiping Him, praying, that looks like putting my girls to sleep at night, talking to them about who God is. I’ll take Honey outside and I’ll say, “Look at the stars.” And she loves the stars. I’ll say, “God created those stars. And you know what? That same God that made the stars made you.” And teaching her about the love of God helps me be in a relationship with Him. So all of this to say your relationship with God does not have to look one certain way.
“Your relationship with God does not have to look one certain way.” – Sadie Robertson Huff
When We Are Right With God, We Can Be Right With Other People
Christian: I think some ways that our life started changing when we do put love first is kind of what I talked about at the beginning. You do become more patient, you are more kind, you are less envious of other people, you are less boastful, you are less proud, and I think things that I’ve seen—if you look at Galatians 5, the Bible talks about this idea of the acts as sinful nature and then the fruits of the spirit. And I think that if you do put love first, meaning if you put God first in your life, then you will see these things produced in your life. You will see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control.
“I think that if you do put love first, meaning if you put God first in your life, then you will see these things produced in your life. You will see love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control.” – Christian Huff
Sadie: And we talk about the beauty of love, it’s patient, it’s kind…as it goes. That’s the kind of person you want to be in a relationship with anyways, you know? So if you are built in love and you’re kind to people, you’re patient with people, you cheer each other one when you’re going through stuff, you’re humble.
Before it says love your neighbor as yourself, it says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.” You’ve got to love God first so that you can love who He created, you, so that you can love people and be a good person in your community and love others in your community well. You’ve got to be those things to yourself, and then you can be those things to others.
“Before it says love your neighbor as yourself, it says, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, with all your strength.’ You’ve got to love God first so that you can love who He created, you, so that you can love people and be a good person in your community and love others in your community well.” – Sadie Robertson Huff
If you want a relationship one day that is consistent, you need to start being a more consistent person. If you want a relationship one day that is pure and lovely and honors God, then you need to start acting pure and lovely and honoring God. And I think sometimes we want out of relationships what we don’t even give to ourselves. And that’s why love has to be first, because you’re not going to randomly stumble upon love somewhere in a relationship without ever acting like it yourself, without ever finding it for yourself first. And so that’s the importance of making sure we’re right with God so that we can be right with ourselves and right with people.
Finding Ways to Connect to the One Who Loves Us
Christian: You know, as we’ve kind of just mentioned throughout this podcast, it can be easy for us to go to the lesser things to find fulfillment and to find satisfaction and to find comfort and to find joy and happiness and whatever other than going to God.
I think connecting to God and prayer and reading and all these things, I think it does make you feel less alone. You know, the Bible and Scripture says that God’s always with you, it says He will never leave you and never forsake you. And I think if you’re constantly aware that He’s with you in all those moments, it is easier to not go it alone.
“I think connecting to God and prayer and reading and all these things, I think it does make you feel less alone. You know, the Bible and Scripture says that God’s always with you, it says He will never leave you and never forsake you. And I think if you’re constantly aware that He’s with you in all those moments, it is easier to not go it alone.” – Sadie Robertson Huff
Sadie: When it comes to daily encouragement, it’s not everything, that’s not God Himself. You’ve got to make sure that you’re actually tethered to God Himself, but at the same time, what a huge encouragement to be in that daily encouragement, daily practice of strengthening your relationship, strengthening your knowledge, strengthening your view of who God is and your view of yourself. I think it’s very important, so I’m thankful for things like that.
Christian: I know that God is always with me and that God loves me and compels me to keep going. And same with anxiety, I know that things in life can cause anxiety, but if my hope is found anywhere else, then yeah, that might be longer lasting than maybe what it would be if I found my hope in Jesus.
Jesus Listens, September 27th:
Loving Savior,
I really want to live in the present, where Your beautiful Presence awaits me continually. As I refresh myself in Your nearness, Your Love soaks into my innermost being. I delight in relaxing with You—putting aside problems so I can be attentive to You and receptive to Your Love. My soul thirsts for You, but so often I don’t realize what I’m really longing for: awareness of Your Presence with me.
Lord, please lead me beside quiet waters and restore my soul. Just as lovers can communicate deeply with very few words, so it is in my relationship with You—the Lover of my soul.
In Your tender Name, Jesus,
Amen
Narrator: To learn more about Christian and Sadie, follow them on social media, and be sure to check out their book, How To Put Love First, available at your favorite retailer.
If you’d like to hear more stories about God’s love, check out our interview with Kerry Washington.
Next week: Jochen Wurfl (Holocaust Survivor)
Next time on the Jesus Calling Podcast, we’ll hear from ninety-two year old Holocaust survivor Jochen Wurfl, who shares the gripping and heartbreaking story of how World War II tore his family apart, how he and his brother Peter survived, and the opportunity they had to build new lives for themselves in the United States.
Jochen Wurfl: I was so blessed in this country and by my life as a whole. I feel I had a very good life, in spite of all the horrible things that happened.
