Former country music star Granger Smith recently sat down with outspoken Christian and actor Kirk Cameron, where the singer discussed the tragic death of his son, River, and how he subsequently found God in the struggles and hardships that were presented afterward. River Smith died in the summer of 2019 after a drowning accident in the family’s pool.
Cameron brought up the topic, asking Smith if he ever questioned God why he would let such a tragedy plague his family. The former musician explained his experience with grief, noting that how much of it you experience is often tailored to the love you felt for the person. Smith pointed out that regardless of when, everyone will experience this grief at some point in their lives.
“I believe that the amount of grief that you have will always equal the love that you had for that person,” Smith said. “So, if you love a lot, then you’re going to grieve a lot. I struggle a little bit with comparing grief because maybe someone will never go through a loss of a child, but we will all go through it at some point, and early on, by the way, I was a cultural Christian.”
Smith continued illustrating how he was not truly walking with Jesus Christ and lacked saving faith in the Lord. However, he noted that he eventually submitted himself to the will of God, seeking His diving purpose, instead of praying for his own desires. Doing this eliminates questioning God about why bad things happen to us.
Smith added, “I wasn’t saved. I thought I was during this time when we lost River, but during that time, I did have a feeling early on that perhaps it’s not the right prayer to only pray for what we wanted — healing and revive this child and give us peace right now. Instead maybe I should be praying for God’s will — God’s purpose — so that I could move forward and take the next steps according to what He needs for me, not what I want. That thought alone will start to eliminate the question of ‘Why, God?’”
In the years after his son’s death, Smith turned to ministry, seeking to spread the good news of the Gospel. The Christian Tribune previously reported on comments from Smith pertaining to “God’s plan” after the death of his young son. “For reasons that we don’t fully know, God’s plan will always involve suffering in this present world; pain and suffering draw us nearer to God, and God uses that for many purposes,” he said.
He further explained that suffering is an unavoidable part of life that refines us as human beings. “As a father, I wouldn’t want my children to grow up in a perfect utopia. I want to introduce suffering that I know they can handle so that it produces in them a greater good. Suffering has a way of doing that in all things. It’s not just people; this is how metals are refined, with heat and pressure,” he added.
However, Smith illustrated that God is always near to those who are struggling. “So, why wouldn’t a Heavenly Father, who is far superior to anything I could ever imagine as far as planning, nurturing, caring and providing, also introduce suffering into our lives for the greater good or His greater glory? We see this epitomize itself at the cross when Jesus enters humanity in the flesh to involve Himself in suffering. We have a God who is near to the brokenhearted,” he said.
Featured image credit: By Notdost – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=109796615