ABC News's Paula Faris Gets Candid About 'Season of Hell' That Led Her to 'Journeys of Faith'
Paula Faris, former co-anchor of "Good Morning America's" weekend edition and co-host of "The View," is speaking out about the "season of hell" that led to her newfound "journeys of faith."
Faris has been open about her Christian beliefs in her podcast, "Journeys of Faith," but in The Christophers blog on Wednesday, some of her biggest challenges were exposed.
She shared how life from the outside appeared to be perfect. After all, Faris, 43, seemed to have it all – a loving husband and kids, along with a high-profile job that most would dream to have.
Faris, however, revealed how she had been overextended while living her dream on television.
During an interview on "Christopher Closeup," Faris reflected on the lifestyle she'd created, noting that it was one where her family became second to her job. "They were getting the leftovers – the rest of me, not the best of me," she said.
"I allowed fear to paralyze me from doing what I knew was right, from doing what I felt that God had pressed on my heart – to take a step away from these two assignments and refocus my priority compass," she explained.
However, instead of listening to God's still, small voice, Faris continued her hectic work schedule – a decision that ultimately brought Faris to what she now calls a "season of hell."
She then shared some of her darkest moments, revealing how in September she suffered a miscarriage that required emergency surgery. Soon afterward, while reporting a segment near Wall Street, "Someone threw an apple at my head," she recalled.
"I know it sounds crazy, but they threw it so hard, it exploded and I subsequently suffered a concussion," Faris told The Christophers. "The police said, according to the surveillance video, that the apple was traveling 60 miles an hour, so it's like taking a fastball in the back of your head. Had my face been turned just slightly to the right, it would have shattered the side of my face."
Faris was cleared to return to work after three weeks – just before catching the flu and pneumonia.
All this unfolded over an eight-month time span, a period in which she couldn't help but stop and listen to what God was trying to say. It was then that she came to terms with the fact that she had invested "too much of my identity in what I did and not who I was as a child of God," she said.
Faris broke down and told ABC News management that she could no longer endure her current workload, proposing a more ideal schedule where she would work Monday through Friday instead.
In addition, in what she calls a leap of faith, she pitched the notion of launching a podcast – one in which she would interview newsmakers about their religious beliefs. The move paid off and Faris was promoted to senior national correspondent at ABC News.
Since then, she has finished season one of her podcast, "Journeys of Faith," which she created to demonstrate how "some of the world's most influential people lean on faith."
"If God calls you, God's going to equip you," she said.
Faris concluded the interview, citing Jesus' words from : "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart because I have overcome the world."
HERE'S A GREAT STORY FROM FARIS' PODCAST: 'This Is a Jesus Home, Satan's Not Welcome Here': How Melissa Joan Hart Went from 'Teenage Witch' to Spiritual Warfare
