Jana Kramer Shares How She Found Peace Knowing God Was with Her

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The actress who made her mark on the television series One Tree Hill before becoming a familiar face in romantic comedies says her faith has carried her through difficult seasons and that she hopes to instill that same belief in her children. Jana Kramer stars in the new movie Karen Kingsbury’s The Christmas Ring (PG), which launches in theaters Nov. 6 and follows the story of a military widow who falls in love while searching for a lost heirloom that has been in the family since World War II. 

Kramer portrays the lead character in the film, which also stars Jessie James Decker, Benjamin Hollingsworth and Kelsey Grammer. It’s a faith-focused film starring an actress who says faith has carried her through life’s storms, including a divorce that left her feeling isolated and adrift. In 2022, she posted a photo on her social media accounts of herself being baptized. Her local church, she said, is a beacon of hope. 

“It got me through some of the hardest days -- I mean, walking through my divorce, feeling so alone, but then realizing that I wasn't alone,” Kramer told Crosswalk Headlines. “And I didn't grow up with that in my family. And so for me, it's been really important as a mom to have my kids know who Jesus and God are.

“My daughter has been really afraid at night lately, and it's just having her lean into God and praying. I wish I would have gotten that as a kid, because it took me until [I was] 40 to realize that I wasn't alone and I didn't have to do it alone.”

In her 2022 social media post, she reflected that her past made it hard to trust or find peace in the idea of a father figure. (She has spoken openly about surviving domestic violence during her first marriage.) 

“I didn’t think he would stay. That he wouldn’t hurt me,” she wrote in her post, reflecting on her beliefs about faith. “So I pushed God away for years. But last year in the brokenness and quiet moments alone, I realized I wasn’t truly alone. That HE was there. That HE never left. God was just waiting for me to come to him.”

Her local church, she said, has become a family. 

“I'm still learning things. I'm still asking questions, but to know that I'm instilling that in my kids is, to me, why I lean in even more,” she said. “Because they know God does have their back and that they're not alone.”

 

The Christmas Ring is based on a new Kingsbury novel of the same name and -- Kramer said -- stands apart from any holiday movie she’s done because it explores conflict that isn’t often seen in television rom-coms. The film reminds audiences that there is always hope, she said. 

“What I love about it is that it has the classic elements of every good Christmas movie, but because [Kingsbury is] such a good author, she puts in the conflict, the loss, the love, the threads of faith -- and she really just enriched the story to make it that classic Christmas movie that we all love and know,” she said. “So I was just ecstatic to sign on board.”

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Photo credit: ©TheChristmasRingMovie/FathomEntertainment/YouTube.com

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel. 

Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.