Jessica Robertson visits All Things Southern

Several weeks ago now I had Jep and Jessica Robertson, stars of the hit A&E reality show Duck Dynasty in the ATS LIVE studio with me to talk about their book, The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God.  I so enjoyed their visit and the message of this book stayed with me long after I read it. It’s why I circled back and asked Jessica if she would join me for a print interview. She graciously agreed. I wasn’t surprised. Jessica is as grounded as the rest of her famous family. I know you’ll enjoy her visit, so we’ll get right to it.

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Hello Jessica! Thank you for The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God.  I must admit, the span of wit and wisdom contained in it took me by surprise. Oh, I knew full well that I would be entertained by your book, because both you and your husband are friendly and engaging people. What I didn’t expect was to be inspired and challenged on such a deep level. Why was it important to you and Jep, with everything else you have going on, to stop and do the hard work of getting your story down in black and white?

Jessica: It was a God thing. When we were presented with the opportunity, we just knew that God could take all the struggles and trials we’ve been through and use it for His glory. So, even though it was about us, it was actually not about us at all in the sense that He is in control.

Jep’s story of how he came to faith in Christ is unique to the Robertsons, definitely unlike those of his brothers. While you knew a lot of Jep’s story before the wedding, some of the heavier details came out after you were married. It’s understandable to want to keep some of our most painful memories buried, but doing so can be a ticking time bomb, especially if we’re still caught in destructive patterns because of how past. What advice could you give other couples as to when to open up about past experiences and how much to divulge?

Jessica: I think openness is the best policy. We are extremely open to each other and our kids about life. As you can read in our book, we laid it all out there, the good & the bad.

As a young woman, wounded from a past relationship, there was a time when you didn’t want anything more to do with God. You began making decisions that brought on some very tough consequences. By the time you met Jep, he had committed his life to Christ and you were invited to participate in Bible studies with him and his friends. Y’all weren’t really an item at the time. Did you find his faith attractive or did it make you nervous because of your earlier relationship with someone in ministry? In other words, did you have a hard time trusting the authenticity of his relationship with Christ?

Jessica: From the moment I met Jep I knew he was different. He was cute of course, but there was something more, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I now know that thing that drew me to want to get to know him in the first place was his authenticity. I know for sure that he has a true love for God. Is he perfect, no! But, neither am I! We try to love everyone, we try to put God at the center of our marriage and everything we do, but the fact of the matter is that we are human, we stumble, we make mistakes, we are so grateful for the grace and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ!

You and Jep speak very honestly and transparently in the book about the hard seasons of your marriage. There was a time when you were trying to decide if you could even stay with him. In the end, what was the deciding factor that made you stay and fight for your marriage?

Jessica: “True forgiveness” and “True Love”. That’s what it boiled down to, my love and commitment for Christ helped me show love and  and forgiveness to Jep. I’m a sinner too. Without Jesus Christ and the blood that cleanses, I would not be a part of the body of Christ. I knew that God forgave me and He forgave Jep, why would I not forgive him.

Let’s break the book title down in three short phrases? What do you consider the good in your story? Where’s the bad? And how did the Grace of God make the difference?

Jessica:

The good- All the LOVE! Every good moment in our lives before we were together, while together and for the rest of eternity!

The bad- anywhere Satan got a foothold.

The Grace of God- throughout out entire story! He’s been with us always, through the good and bad, and all in between.

Jessica, you and Jep are the parents of four beautiful children. Raising kids is challenging under any situation and y’all find yourselves in the unique position of raising them in the middle of Duck Dynasty mania. What are y’all doing to keep them grounded?

Jessica: We communicate and stay active in their lives. I watch what they watch and even check their phones every so often to make sure I know what’s going on while I’m not with them.

Jessica, you and I have talked about this before, but many of my readers may have missed your interviews on ATS LIVE. If you don’t mind, I’d like to close by revisiting a question that people always find interesting. Can you pinpoint an “A ha!” moment when you first realized that life as you knew it had changed and you were now a very public and very famous figure?

Jessica: Oh goodness! I guess a huge moment was being in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade was a pretty amazing moment. Once in a lifetime moment I would say! Yep, pretty A-Ha!

No doubt! Thanks for being by our porch, Jessica! It’s been a delight and I pray that the message of The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God will travel far and wide.

Hugs, Shellie

Jessica wanted to give away a copy of The Good, The Bad, and The Grace of God. Leave a comment to be registered in the drawing.  She would also like to invite you to visit her lifetstyle blog. You’ll find lovely posts on fashion, cooking, gardening, and I’m quite certain you’ll enjoy getting to know Jessica. Her warmth is contagious!