Because of my service in the Army during the Vietnam War, I’ve always had an interest in helping veterans and active soldiers.
Somebody told me that Duck Dynasty had made me a celebrity, and I didn’t know exactly what that meant. I was told it meant I was famous—like the Kardashians or Charlie Sheen. Hey, if being a celebrity means I have to act like them, I don’t want any part of it, Jack!
Since Duck Dynasty launched in 2012, my life really hasn’t changed much. Sure, things are better for my family and me financially. Thanks to the Good Lord, we won’t have to worry about paying a bill ever again, and that beats having to wonder how I’m going to pay my mortgage or utility bills, which is how it was for much of my life.
Even though I might have a few more dollars in my bank account, I’m still the same guy. I like fishing and duck hunting, and I enjoy the beauty of what God created. I still attend church every Sunday morning to thank the Almighty for what He has done and what He will do, and I’m continuing to share the Good News with as many people as I can.
It’s my faith in God that helps me stay on an even keel. Hey, Jack, I learned a long time ago that I can count on His promise to be the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is the one who held our family together when I was a kid and money was scarce. He is the one who stood beside me through all the trauma I experienced in Vietnam. He was there when I had my heart attack. He was even there when all the hoopla started with Duck Dynasty. He had a plan all along, and I’m just on for the ride.
Not only is God the same yesterday, today, and forever—but being the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow is one of my own goals. Even though our lives are now on display for all to see, and even though we have more money in our pockets than we did before, I find peace in knowing who I am and Who I belong to—and that will never change.
And hey, I’m still madly in love with the woman I married in 1971—in fact, we renewed our wedding vows in May 2014. Even after all the Duck Dynasty “fame,” what I enjoy most is being with my wife, Christine, and the rest of my family—my brothers and sisters and their children, and my own kids and grandkids. Family is what matters most to me, and being with the Robertson family is what I love more than anything else in the world.
Even when we were children, my brothers and sisters and I were exceptionally close. Everything was centered at the dinner table. We ate together every night and discussed what happened during the day. Even today, we share many meals together.
I’ll never forget a conversation I had when I was stationed in Germany with the United States Army. One of the soldiers who worked with me had to fly home on emergency leave to attend his father’s funeral. He came back about a week later, and I could tell he was struggling emotionally.
Because of my service in the Army during the Vietnam War, I’ve always had an interest in helping veterans and active soldiers.
“Hey, why don’t you go back home?” I said to him. “You still need time to grieve. You need to be with your family.”
“Why would I want to be at home?” he said. “Why would I want to be there, watching my brothers and sisters fight over what little money my dad made?”
That conversation saddened me then, and it saddens me today. A lot of people believed Duck Dynasty wouldn’t last as long as it has. They thought money and fame would rip our family apart, like it does to so many other families who appear on reality TV shows. But hey, they don’t know the Robertson family. Duck Dynasty started as a family affair—and it will end as a family affair. And at the center of it all is our faith in the Almighty.
One thing that has changed in my life is that I’m able to be more generous. The Good Lord has blessed my family and me mightily, and I’m so glad I now have the financial means to help others who are in need. You’ll read about some of the children’s charities and ministries I’m involved with in the chapters that follow. It warms my heart to help others, especially kids.
Even when I didn’t have a lot of money, I tried to help anyone I could. That might have meant fixing a neighbor’s roof, mowing an elderly woman’s lawn, or taking food to a needy family. Although I didn’t have much in terms of money and material possessions, I tried to assist others whenever possible. It’s what the Bible says we’re supposed to do. “Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Hebrews 13:16).
Our country has gotten away from helping each other, and I think America would be such a better place if we got back to taking care of each other. The love of God should compel us to help one another. How can we not share what God has entrusted to us?
I still have a hard time believing the plan God had in store for me. Honestly, I could have never imagined it being like this. In Ephesians 3:20, God tells us, “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
Hey, it’s true. God has blessed me more than I could have ever imagined. I can’t believe the people I’ve met, the places I’ve been, and the things I’ve been able to do. Watching what the Almighty has done with my family and how He uses us strengthens my faith in Him even more, because I know that none of these good things would have happened without God’s hand.
The Robertson family has made it our life’s work to share the Good News. During the past few decades, we have baptized hundreds of people in the Ouachita River in front of my brother Phil’s house. It’s the most important thing we do as Christians. The fact that God put us on TV has enabled us to share His message with millions of people around the world. If that’s not God’s work, I don’t know what is.
Hey, Silas Merritt Robertson is a reality TV star. Think about that for a minute, Jack! I look in the mirror every morning, and I know it took divine intervention to make me an international star. I tell people that if they don’t believe in God, they need to look at the Robertson family. Look at what He had to work with, and look at what He has accomplished!
There were many times in my life when I was in a bind, either financially or physically, but came out okay. I’ll never forget a time right after Christine and I were married. We were broke and desperately needed money to pay our rent and utilities. We were about to be evicted from our home, and I didn’t know where I was going to get the money to pay the bills. I was feeling anything but peaceful and serene.
I dropped to my knees and prayed to God for help. It was the only thing I knew to do. When I checked the mail the next day, there was a check for five hundred dollars. I had accidentally overpaid my truck loan, and my credit union mailed me a refund. Looking back at it now, I believe it was part of God’s plan for me. He was testing my faith in Him.
Hey, there was another time when Phil and his wife, Kay, were in similar dire circumstances. Duck Commander was still in its infancy, and Phil wasn’t selling enough duck calls to pay his bills. He was behind on his mortgage and didn’t have money for groceries to feed his boys. “Well, I guess I better go to the bank and ask for a loan,” Kay told him.
“Nah, wait until the mail comes,” Phil told her. “I think there’s going to be a check in there.”
“Why would there be a check?” Kay asked him. “Nobody owes us any money.” But they reached out to our Heavenly Father in prayer, and He heard them.
When the mail arrived, there was an eight-hundred-dollar check from somebody in Japan who was ordering one hundred duck calls. Their prayers for help were answered.
Sure, having financial security is nice, but money and fame haven’t changed who I am. My faith is what brings me peace and si-renity.