Granger and Amber Smith Say their Christian Faith is their Strength After Losing Son
By Allyson Vannatta, Senior Writer
Country music singer Granger Smith and his wife, Amber, told PEOPLE magazine that their faith has been their strength since their son, River, tragically died just over a year ago in a freak drowning accident.
“I feel like I’ve died,” he said. “It’s not a bad thing that that ‘me’ died. In fact, I think it’s all good. It’s only good.”
Granger’s words echo scripture that tells us we must die to ourselves in order to be alive in Christ. By recognizing this, Granger says he has grown in his relationship with the Lord.
He added, “I feel wiser. I feel more in tune spiritually. I feel more aware of our present moment and the value in the present moment, the value in the current breath that we have.”
Since that tragic day in June 2019, Granger and Amber have done a few things to try to grapple with their grief.
Talking about his faith, Granger said, “For me, that’s pretty much all I’ve had. My brain is not capable of calculating that magnitude of a loss, and then I have to realize that I don’t have to. I can lean on a higher power for that and know that my little boy is in a better place.”
Amber said she has, “Never felt closer to God than I did from the night of the accident on. I’ve never felt that he has left me or forsaken me.”
Last month, Amber shared a post on Instagram marking the one-year mark of their loss. Part of the caption reads, “God is still good. Exactly 1 year later, today, we close on our new land. The timing is not lost on me. God is guiding us and I feel Riv with us every step of the way.”
Related: Country Singer Granger Smith’s Wife: I Can’t Live This Life Without God
The couple also created the River Kelly Fund.
The mission statement says, “We hope to shine our light on those that provide support and bring awareness to causes including children in need, arts and education, wildlife preservation, military, veteran and first responder assistance, donor affiliations and many more organizations close to our hearts.”
As they continue to navigate through their guilt, both Granger and Amber hope and pray that one day they’ll be able to forgive themselves for the death of their son.
“I know that there’s going to be a time when I’m going to forgive myself, but I’m not there yet,” Granger said.
Amber added, “I don’t know if we ever truly will be able to forgive ourselves. I pray that we can. I hope we can.”