Country Star Granger Smith Reveals How Kids, Faith Saved Him from ‘Rock Bottom’
By Movieguide® Contributor
Country artist Granger Smith recently opened up about finding hope in Jesus after he hit “rock bottom” following the death of his three-year-old son, River, in 2019.
For a while, Smith turned to drugs and alcohol to cope with the pain.
“I would wake up in the middle of the night many times and I would wake up and go, ‘I lost my son,’ and then I couldn’t go back to sleep. It was every night, so I would take weed in some form so that hopefully I would sleep all night and it worked,” he shared with ET.
The relief was only temporary, and he began using the substance during the day. When he wasn’t under the influence, his mind raced.
“And then I thought if I don’t have it I’m in trouble and the slideshow’s gonna overtake me,” he shared. “And the slideshow was just random images of River, of losing him and whether he’s face down in the pool or I’m holding him or we’re going to the hospital or the doctor saying, ‘We’re gonna lose him.'”
One night when he was drunk, Smith decided to end it.
“That night on Wildflower in that back bedroom—that was just as rock bottom as it got to be honest,” he said.
Countrynow.com reported, “Luckily, he found a wave of strength from imagining his two other kids, Lincoln and London, and how, at only seven and five years old at the time, they were waiting for him to return and be there for them.”
“I said, ‘Jesus, help me.’ Suddenly I felt life sort of stop for the first time. The slideshow stopped. I slid the gun out of my hand and it hit the bank and I fell down on the floor,” Smith shared with ET.
After his encounter with Jesus, Smith decided to pursue ministry. He currently attends Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and is on track to earn a master’s degree. According to Country Now, he is stepping away from performing, and his last show will be on August 26 in Forth Worth, Texas.
This past May, Granger also announced the release of his new book “Like a River,” on his son’s birthday. He stated in an Instagram caption, “I want the information that I learned to be available to anyone that is hurting… Will you read it? really hope you do.”
Movieguide® previously reported on Smith’s decision to pursue ministry:
Country star Granger Smith recently spoke more about his decision to leave country music and pursue ministry in his local church.
“It sounds like a not-very-exciting news story — the story of a guy who had what I always dreamed of having, and turning it back over,” the singer laughed. “I’m turning it back in for a life at the local church. But I believe that that is what I am called to do.”
Smith also talked about the role faith had in his life following the tragic death of his son, River, who passed away in 2019 in a tragic accidental drowning.
“I cannot take credit myself for the radical transformation that the Lord did in my life through this tragedy,” he shared. “Sometimes, when that soil is cultivated, and we have to dig deep, and we can’t find it within ourselves, the Lord comes in and shows Himself in a very profound way.”
