Granger Smith Reminds Christians ‘Pain is Not Pointless…It’s Preparing You’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Former country singer Granger Smith is reminding us that our suffering has “greater purposes than we could ever imagine.”
“Pain is not pointless when you’re a Christian. It’s not purposeless. It’s preparing you,” he said in a recent sermon. “Just as the blacksmith is purposefully swinging the hammer, shaping that metal with every strike, so does suffering mold our character, refining us, burning away those impurities and strengthening our resolve, forging us into vessels that God will use.”
Smith explained that our moments of suffering are “preparing us for greater purposes than we could ever imagine…not by diminishing us but by making us more than we were — more capable, more compassionate, more connected with God’s purpose.”
He also reminded us that the hard times we go through now “are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
“In every moment of suffering, in every hour of pain, the spirit of God is with you,” Smith said, “It is preparing you for what’s to come, assuring you that the best is yet to be revealed and until it is, in the meantime, filling your heart with joy.”
Smith made headlines when he announced he was leaving his career in country music to pursue ministry following the tragic accidental death of his son River.
“A lot of times the more you love someone, the more you’ll grieve them,” he told Fox News about his grieving process. “So if you’re someone that loves anyone a lot, then you’re going to grieve them a lot if you lose them. So the alternative to that is suppressing your love and not giving out love, and no one wants to do that. That’s ridiculous. So we love fiercely like that. We love with full intention. And then we need to be prepared for the consequences of that if we lose them, which is a heavy grief.”
He continued, “There is a peace in knowing that that heavy grief is a result of the love, and that if you didn’t have the love, you wouldn’t grieve. And then you kind of carry that burden with you a little bit, and you go, ‘OK, I carry this burden because of the love I had.’ And that makes it special, and it’s easier to endure that way, knowing why you’re carrying that burden.”
Smith’s wife Amber recently paid tribute to River on the fifth anniversary of his death.
“So much can happen in 5 years. Don’t lose heart. Don’t lose hope. When all you want to do is run away, run to the Healer,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “5 years without you little one, but 5 years closer to eternity. We didn’t get the miracle of healing this side of heaven, but through our suffering, we got the miracle of Jesus and His saving grace. That’s the greatest miracle of all.”
Movieguide® previously reported on how the family leaned on faith as they grieved the loss of their son:
Five years ago, country singer Granger Smith and his wife Amber lost their 3-year-old son when he drowned in their backyard pool.
The tragic accident brought their family closer to God.
“I’ve never felt the Lord more close than I did in those moments by the pool, in the hospital, in the days, weeks and months following the burial of our son,” Amber told Fox News on April 28.
While the loss of their son is a terrible heartache, it brought out a foundation they needed—a relationship with God.
“It has been the most painful time in our lives, but it has also been the most transformative time in the last five years,” she said. “The tears still fall right below the surface whenever I’m speaking about our son. But currently, my heart is joyful, and I’m hopeful, and I’m grateful for what the Lord has done in our lives and the healing he’s brought.”
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