PEER: How did you come to know Jesus, was it a pivotal moment in your life?

LA: Yes. Coming to know Jesus was a pivotal moment in my life, but I will say that accepting Jesus, like accepting salvation and saying yes to Jesus and following Jesus are two completely different events in my life. I would say, whenever I accepted Jesus into my heart, it was at a young age. I remember believing the gospel. I believe that Jesus died and He rose again. And that He loved me and that he paid for my sin but following Jesus was just a different story for me. I didn’t know what that meant or what that looked like or how to do that. I didn’t know that the gospel was supposed to transform the way you live as well. And so, I would say that I came to know Jesus, I accepted Him as my savior when I was 16 but I didn’t really start following Him until my early 20s when I got a mentor.

P: Shifting into your social media. Why and when did you start posting Christian comedy?

LA: Yeah. No, Jezziebath is my character, short for Jezebel Bathsheba. She is a Christian woman that you just love to hate. I started posting (on TikTok) and my first TikTok was June of 2020. And I just remember, I downloaded TikTok like everybody did during COVID just to scroll because I was bored. Then I was like, I have this character living inside of me and I was, maybe I’ll post a video and see how it does. But I remember thinking A, I’m way too old to be posting on the internet but B, if this doesn’t go viral, it’s just going to be embarrassing, what if people can’t relate to this and think it’s funny, all these things.

So, I posted my first video June of 2020, and it went viral overnight and literally when I say the rest is history, the rest is history. God just really multiplied my platform times a million. I’s been crazy.

P: Tell me about Jezziebath. What inspired you to create her?

LA: So whenever I was, I don’t know, probably 19 or 20, maybe 22, my friends used to ask me for advice on dating and they’d be talking about a boy. I would just go into “Jezziebath mode” instead of just being a normal friend who just gives normal advice of, yeah, I think you should do this, or I think you should do that. I would grab the nearest book by me and hold it like a Bible and I would pretend that I had a microphone on my face, or holding a microphone, and I would just start preaching a sermon. I don’t know why I did that, but I was just funnier that way I felt.

I remember one of them (my friends), and my friend had a crush on a guy named Manny, and so I did a whole sermon on how he was a “Manny of God.” It’s just like Jezziebath was created. Then, at summer camp, I’ve heard (as a camp counselor), “Do Jezziebath. Can you do Jezziebath?” And I would be sure. So, I now can do it on command as people will be like, “Oh, do Jezziebath about this” and I’ll be okay. So I can just go into Jezziebath mode now, which is a little scary, but mostly endearing.

P: Did you ever receive any backlash and how do you deal with that?

LA: I think there’s a difference between backlash and unkind comments because there’s both. I live in the world with both. The backlash I’ve received on my character Jezziebath has been really a few things. One, a big comment I get is, “People like this are why I left the church.” That one hurts every single time because it’s the reality of that there are people like this, that actually do exist, and that have hurt people, who claim the name of Jesus and who have caused serious hurt. That to me is very hurtful to read but it also stirs my affection and stirs my heart for the Lord and to be the change, to be the person who isn’t the Jezziebath, and to be somebody who is inviting and who is kind.

Then another kind of comment I’ll get that I would say is backlash is other believers will comment and say, “How is this bringing people to know God? How are we winning souls for Christ?” But how I handle the backlash specifically, not the unkind comments, I would say backlash whenever it’s about my character, I invite it. If they want to have an educated, kind conversation on the Internet, I would love to have that. The ones I don’t reply to are the ones with no profile picture that are like username 17623457.

I don’t really engage in those comments but if somebody wants to have a conversation with me and they want to challenge me, I’m like, “Please do that.” I think anybody with any kind of platform, it’s necessary for us to be challenged and held accountable for what we’re posting on the Internet. Any time people come to my DMs and they have these questions about my character, I’m open to it but I also invite it because I want to have those conversations. There was a time that I took about three months off of TikTok because I had this really heart-checking comment that I got about my content and I was like, “What am I posting this for? What is the point?”

So, I took just a few months to step back and really ask the Lord to check my heart and to check my heart posture. So, those comments can be really beneficial. I would say with backlash, I invite it.

Unkind comments, on the other hand, are a completely different thing but also a world I live in. So, a few things that happened, a big boundary I’ve set for myself is, anytime one of my videos on TikTok gets over 100,000 views, I stop reading the comments. Before then, it’s usually my normal viewers who are like, I know their usernames, we comment back and forth and it’s funny and they’re like, “I relate to this,” “I love this.”

But after it hits 100k, it gets into the part of the universe that I do not want to live in—where a lot of negativity comes. And what’s crazy is, the most negative comments are about my body. People will comment on my weight, my appearance, my teeth, the fact that I have big cheeks, my eyebrows—like just crazy stuff about my appearance and about my face. At that point, I just remember back in 2020, I was thinking about this this morning before this interview like, I just would post and not even care. I would just think, “I don’t care what I look like or if people don’t like my outfit.” Now that it’s three years later, I’m like all I care about is I’m like oh, how do I look in this in what angle. It’s crazy how comments and negativity can really change your mental health and affect your mental health.

So, all of the negative comments about my appearance and about if they don’t think I’m funny, I’m like, I mean, the point of the video is not for me to look good; it’s to make people laugh and so when people comment about my appearance, I try to ignore it for the most part, but sometimes it is really, really hurtful and really painful.

With the unkind comments, a boundary I have set is if I see one or more, I’ll stop reading the comments section. I’ll turn off my phone. I’ll log off of TikTok. Then also just having screen time, like just allowing myself one hour a day on TikTok to scroll, has really been a helpful boundary for me. But yeah, the unkind comments and the backlash are both so incredibly real. If anybody’s listening that’s thinking, “Oh, I really want to be a content creator,” just know that that is going to be your reality 100 percent.

P: How can young people who are constantly scrolling protect their mental health while scrolling? Because I think that giving up social media forever is not really realistic.

LA: Yeah. I mean, honestly, that’s my first decision—just turn it off forever. That’s what I wish I could do sometimes. A lot of times I’m like, oh man, but the Lord’s like, “I’ve given you this platform for a purpose.” So, one big boundary I said is in place and that I’m very big advocate for is screen time. It’s within the iPhone. It’s already on your phone. It exists for your screen time where you can give yourself a certain amount of time every day for whatever app it is. So, Instagram and TikTok, I allow myself a certain amount of time on certain days to scroll, that’s a huge one.

Another one is on TikTok specifically, your “For You” page, it’s called your “For You” page because it’s curated for the content that’s for you. One way that I curated my feed to be a positive and uplifting place, is if somebody comes on my screen that I find myself comparing myself to or content that I’m like, whoa, that’s theologically the opposite direction, I’ll just press not interested. It’s a feature on the bottom right. There’s an arrow, if you press the arrow, you can press not interested and it’ll help to show less of that on your feed.

So those are just two really practical ways to not let your mental health go insane. Unfollow people that are bad for your mental health. Mute people. If you feel bad unfollowing people, you can mute people. That’s huge for me. I’m like, if I disagree with somebody but they’re my friend and I still love them, and they’re going through something and they’re posting crazy things, I’m like, instead of letting my heart go a direction of bitterness, I’m just going to mute them for a while. So those are just really practical ways that we can help our mental health and protect ourselves while we’re still scrolling.

P: What advice do you have for young Christians, especially young Christian girls, who may be struggling with things like body image, comparison, anxiety, and depression?

LA: Wow. Well, first, I just want to say, like, you’re not alone. I think there’s this stigma around mental health especially even though it’s like, feels more common. The devil will convince us that we’re by ourselves in that, and then that will actually convince us to isolate ourselves further. So, I just want to say you’re not alone, that’s my first thought. As far as advice goes­—I would say the best and I hate to say things that are like, “Jesus is the answer” because it’s like, Jesus is always the answer. But sometimes you need more. There are times when you need medication. There are times where counseling, I’m like a huge therapy girl. Like, yes, everyone should go to therapy.

There are practical tools and things to put in place as well. But my best, best, best solid advice, the only time I’ve ever felt true joy, true peace, everlasting fulfillment where I felt I have a purpose, I have a place at the table, I’ve identity is when I’ve spent serious time in God’s Word. It’s the only thing and I’m like, the only thing that can heal my mind and my body and my heart completely, because God is the one who created it. He’s the one that can heal it. So, I want to encourage those listening that are struggling with specifically, comparison, comparing yourself to other people. A lot of times, one of my favorite things to say is that it’s hard to look around when you’re looking up.

So, when our eyes are fixed on Jesus and our heart posture is fixed on who God created us to be, the amazing parts about us, it’s hard for us to look around and see what everyone else is doing, when we’re looking at Him. So, my encouragement is just to keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and remember that He is the one who created you. Also, He knows you better than anybody else could ever know you and sees the parts of you that even you don’t see. Even the things that you’re scared for anybody else to see, He sees those parts and He’s tender with those parts and He cares for those parts.

So, He’s the best friend I’ve ever had and He’s my safe place and my refuge, my hideaway whenever I’m feeling those ways. So, I know that sounds cliche and cheesy and maybe overly Christian, but literally the answer is Jesus.

P: What advice do you have for anyone who just wants to be a content creator?

LA: My initial thought is don’t but that’s not the right answer. I would say seek first the kingdom and all else will be added unto you (Matthew 6:33). I wish I could go back in time and seek first the kingdom before I sought after the platform and when I was seeking the followers and the likes. Still even sometimes today, there will be times where I’m like, “Am I posting this for the followers and for the likes and for the views or am I posting this because if I feel like it can make a difference in the kingdom?”  

So, seek first the kingdom. Seek Jesus first and seek first what He wants you to do. If that’s content creating, do it but seek Him first before you post, before you plan a post, before you record a video. Seek Him first and ask Him, even if it’s humor. It’s so funny because I create comedic videos but I’m still on my knees begging God. If God’s plan for you is to be a content creator, it will come to pass, but the first thing we got to do before we post a video is be on our knees before Him.

P: In one sentence, can you describe your morning routine?

LA: First I drink the coffee, then I do the things.

P: What are you currently listening to? This could be a music, audio book, podcast?

LA: I’m listening to Gable Price & Friends. They are incredible. The lyrics will just pull on your heartstrings and check your heart and posture it before the Lord and the music is just fun to listen to. Then podcast, I am listening to “Back Porch Theology”—it’s by Lisa Harper and she just makes the word of God and the theology behind it so much easier to digest. So, she just is an amazing communicator and her and Allison, her co-host, are just incredible.

P: What’s a Bible verse that’s been on your heart recently?

LA: The last three days I’ve been stuck on Mark 11:12-19, but it’s about when Jesus curses the fig tree and it just been stuck on my heart. Jesus is hungry so He goes to this fig tree expecting to see leaves on it. He thinks there will be figs attached and He goes up and there’s no figs. So really the tree was false advertising. It looked like it would bear fruit, all signs pointed to, it would bear fruit, but it was empty and fruitless.

So, Jesus curses the tree and says, may no one ever eat from your fruit again and it’s really been sticking with me because I don’t ever want to be false advertising or ever want to be somebody who looks like they should bear fruit but has nothing to offer. I don’t ever want to be cursed because God is not pleased whenever we come before Him and then we look the part, but we don’t have any fruit. There’s nothing in our heart that’s barring any kind of fruit. So that’s really been sticking with me.

P: Where can Peer readers find you?

LA: So, I am on TikTok @abercrombielacy. I’m on Instagram, the same username. I have a YouTube, I haven’t been super active on it, but it’s just under Lacy Abercrombie. I’m on Spotify, I have some music from 2018; go and check that out and I have a podcast as well called “With Love, Lacy.”

Follow Lacy on Instagram and TikTok @abercrombielacy.