Hallmark actress reveals how unlikely role taught her about God's love

Hallmark and Great American Family actress Jen Lilley opened up about how God has guided her acting career and taught her important life lessons along the way.

"I try to live my life — in a posture of surrender," she told Fox News Digital.

Lilley has starred in several films for the two networks known for family-friendly entertainment. She has also had recurring roles on long-running soap operas "General Hospital" and "Days of Our Lives."

As a Christian, Lilley says she tries to be open to wherever God is leading her and sometimes that means taking on unlikely roles.

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She shared how she initially resisted taking on a role playing a troubled character on "Days of Our Lives," whose morals were completely the opposite of her own.

"I really judged her," Lilley said of the character, "Theresa Donovan," whom she went on to play for several years.

"I called my manager and I said, I am not going out for this," she explained. 

Lilley balked after her manager encouraged her to pray about it.

"I think I probably rolled my eyes at him and I was like, ‘What is there to pray about? I just played Queen Esther!'" she said, laughing. "How am I possibly supposed to play Theresa? What am I going to tell people? How am I going to say I'm a Christian and play this character?"

Later, Lilley recalled sitting on the freeway while stuck in traffic and feeling God encourage her to take the controversial role.

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"[It was] one of the most distinct moments of my life. I heard the Holy Spirit, and I don't mean audible. You know, you have four voices in your head. You have your own thoughts. You have God's thoughts. You have the devil's thoughts, and you have your mother's voice. So you got to weigh which one's talking to you…but I knew it was the Lord. And he said, this is your role. And I was like, ‘What?!’"

Lilley said it "didn't make any sense" but she decided to continue to pray to God and ask "why" he wanted her to take the role.

"To this day. I'm so undone by the answer I heard," Lilley said, growing emotional. "God said to me, ‘Because Theresa is in the exact same condition that the world was in when I sent my son to die for them. And that audience needs to know that there is no pit so deep that they could ever find themselves in that my love can not find them still.'"

"You're going to play the emptiness that girl really feels. That the drugs didn't satisfy her. That one-night stand didn't satisfy her. That she feels used and empty. Because that's the truth. And that's the reality. It's not empowering. It's – It's damaging. And so I just remember sobbing and sobbing and calling my manager and being like, okay, like, let's go," she continued.

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Lilley said she came away from the role as a more empathetic person who has more understanding for people she disagrees with. 

"Hate is a mask for hurt," she said." I think people's circumstances, things that they've been taught, things that they've experienced, inform their perspective. I think that we as a culture, globally, not just in the United States, have done a sad job of silencing anybody's opinion that doesn't look like yours."

Fox News Digital also asked the Christian actress what she thinks about the surge of uplifting and faith-based entertainment choices for audiences.

Lilley said she was excited about the trend and thinks it shows how many people are looking for a relationship with God.

"I think everyone is searching for Jesus," she claimed. "I think at the core, every single person is designed to want to feel seen, loved, heard, and valued. And I think that's something you can truly only get from Jesus."

"So many people are so sick of the polarization, and so many people just want something that's uplifting. I think it's really exciting," she continued.

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Lilley also said she's been eager to see high-quality faith-based projects like "The Chosen" becoming successful. She believes Christians need to lead the entertainment industry in creativity and excellence.

"I'm so sick of bad Christian entertainment. I've been part of it and I hate it. I find it unpalatable and gross," she admitted.

"We're called to do things with excellence," Lilley continued. "I really think that people who are plugged into the Holy Spirit…We should be the most creative, the most innovative, the most loving, the most inspiring people on the planet, and we've fallen short of that, for whatever reason. And I find that there are finally projects out there like ‘The Chosen’ who are doing storytelling well, and it is like good medicine in a time when people really just want love."