Part 1: The Background

If you’re reading my blog or listening to my podcast, you may notice that I sometimes reference the Bible or quote scripture. I wanted to take a moment to explain why, especially since it might surprise those who knew me growing up.

Before six years ago, I never gave the Bible a second thought.

In my home, we celebrated Christian holidays like Christmas and Easter, but faith and religion weren’t central to our lives or to those around us. I can count on one hand the number of times I went to church, and I couldn't truly call myself Christian because I was never baptized. Being the fourth child, my parents had already "been there, done that!" Occasionally, I’d listen to Joel Osteen in the car because I enjoyed his positive motivation, but that was the extent of my exposure to anything resembling "Bible school."

That said, my home was filled with a lot of love. I’m fortunate to come from a loving family, so God felt present even without schooled religion. And my heart and mind were open to God. I remember one time as a little girl praying—one of the only memories I have of praying as a child. My mom was crying, and I had never seen her cry so it was upsetting. That night, I knelt at my bed and prayed to God she would feel better. She was brighter in the morning, but I was only 6 or 7 and too young to know the details. But the point is, despite no religion, I was open. 

So, how and when did my shift of diving deeper occur? It wasn’t one single event but a combination of moments over time. However, the significant turning point came during the summer of 2019 when I read a book. I’m sharing this not to promote my faith and the Bible but to offer perspective. If you’re someone like I was—curious, skeptical, or simply uninvolved—my story might be for you.

Part 2: My How

The book I read planted a seed I wasn’t expecting or looking for. My dad has always had a large collection of motivational self-help books. We like to joke about it because we’re pretty sure he’s read less than 30% of them—but if you ever need some inspiration, he’s your guy! (Love you, Dad 😊). That summer, he brought home three copies of a particular book. Why three copies? You’d have to ask him. But three definitely piqued my interest.

It was during summer holidays, pre-baby and pre-marriage, so I had no problem pouring my time and energy into a self-help book. And this book definitely demanded it. The book was 12 Rules for Life by Dr. Jordan Peterson. Peterson is a big name today, but at the time, I had never heard of him. I just new his book was gaining a lot of attention so I was excited to dive in. 

As it turns out, the book was no breezy summer read. It was closer to a textbook—dense, thought-provoking, and challenging. I had to pause, reflect, and research almost every other paragraph. I’ll be honest, it felt out of my depth. But I couldn’t put it down. What captivated me most was how Dr. Peterson intertwined religion, science, and psychology, using biblical stories to illustrate his "rules for life." For the first time, I saw the Bible in a completely different light.

Before, I had dismissed biblical stories as distant myths or outdated fiction—more like Greek mythology, or even, not so different from Game of Thrones. But here was a respected psychologist using these stories to unpack human behavior, morality, and meaning. It made me curious: Why was someone of his intellect and background referencing the Bible so often? And why had I never considered its relevance before? Suddenly, I wanted to better understand the biblical stories he spoke about.

Part 3: Why the Bible

As I read on, Dr. Peterson made a point that hit strong. He argued that whether you believe in God or not, you can’t ignore the Bible’s extraordinary achievement. Written by 40 authors over 1,500 years, translated into over 400 languages, and still shaping millions of lives today. Even if you’ve never opened the book, it’s influenced your life too, whether you know it or not.

I started to wonder: Why has the Bible endured for over 2,000 years when so many other works have faded away? For one moment, I stopped to consider the amount of work that has ever been published in history. It’s hard enough for something to surpass 200 years, but 2000 years? This truth alone began to open my eyes. 

I started to question my assumption that newer knowledge and information is always superior. It’s easy to conclude as time moves on, we naturally improve and progress on the past so what we learn today is better than yesterday. But Jordan Peterson challenged this belief. He helped me understand how something as ancient, and enduring, could be more proof of its relevance than irrelevance. If a book is standing strong through hundreds of generations, there is undoubtedly a level of truth unbound by time. We can't speak about modern information with the same level of certainty. 

Most my life, I dismissed the Bible as old and irrelevant to today’s world. Truthfully, I thought people who trusted in it were a little out of touch and backwards. This was just my perspective shaped by the culture I grew up in. But now, I was seeing things in a new light. For the first time, I felt like I was missing out on something meaningful.

And this is when I decided to purchase my first bible.

Part 4: Closing Thoughts

This was six years ago, and it wasn’t an overnight transformation. There were weeks when I read the Bible daily and others when I set it aside for a month before picking it up again. But that summer opened a door, and over time, my curiosity for knowledge grew into a desire for faith. Later, I married my husband, who comes from an Irish Catholic family, and my interest in exploring the Catholic faith grew naturally and earnestly. Now, entirely on my own terms, I’m in the process of becoming Catholic myself, and it’s been a wonderful experience.

This is just the short version of my journey with the Bible. There are deeper, more personal parts of my faith story that I’ll save for another time. For now, I hope this sheds some light on how I’ve come to be where I am today. And I hope it inspires you to see that no matter your background—faith, religion, or otherwise—these stories and scriptures might hold more meaning for you than you ever knew.

I don’t follow Jordan Peterson religiously, nor can I endorse everything he’s said or done, but there’s no denying his book changed my life. Besides becoming a mother and wife, pursuing my faith has had the most profound impact on me. It’s renewed my mind, soul, and spirit in ways I couldn’t have imagined when I first made the decision to open the bible. 

So if by some miraculous chance Jordan Peterson reads or hears this, thank you. A book really can change your life.  And for that matter, thank you too, Joel Osteen! He planted those very early seeds in the beginning as I came across his encouraging sermons on Serious XM... I highly recommend checking them out! 

Finally, I want to leave you with this: We all have different stories. Maybe yours wasn’t one of a loving God but of judgment, rejection, or betrayal. If so, I’m deeply sorry. That pain is real, and those wounds matter. But I'll say this: humans are flawed and broken. Don't let someone else’s brokenness define your relationship with a supernatural God. 

God is love. He is the source. He’s worth seeking, and He wants your heart. If this resonates with you, I pray you’ll find that place.

With love,

Natalie Grace