My condolences go out to Toby Mac on the loss of his 21- year old son. He wrote this song in honor of his son who was venturing out into the world for the first time.

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18 And God has made all things new,[a] and reconciled[b] us to himself, and given us the ministry of reconciling others to God. 19 In other words, it was through the Anointed One that God was shepherding the world,[c] not even keeping records of their transgressions, and he has entrusted to us the ministry of opening the door of reconciliation to God.[d] 20 We are ambassadors[e] of the Anointed One who carry the message of Christ to the world, as though God were tenderly pleading[f] with them directly through our lips. So we tenderly plead with you on Christ’s behalf, “Turn back to God and be reconciled to him.” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Yesterday, I thought I would stop home for a quick lunch and let our dog out. As I was heading north on Highway 610, I heard KTIS's Lisa Berry requesting prayers for Christian Rapper, Toby Mac with the sudden loss of his son. 

 For a brief second my breath stopped while momentarily reflecting on the profound grief that has its grip on the Toby Mac family with the loss of their son. For many of us, when we hear about losses such as these it sends jolts through our body and question marks through our mind before we begin listening to those doubts: 'If there is a God then why does he cause pain'  For some of us we approach the proverbial fork in the road. We can choose to continue trusting our Savior Jesus in the face of this pain and trust that He knows how to help us in the storm of grief, or we can reject Christ and turn to alcohol and drugs to process that pain.  One path, the path of following Christ, will lead to eventual healing, while the other path will lead to enormous medical problems leading to a much shorter life span.

As someone who has been through the storm of losing a child, I can attest that it is well worth staying close to Jesus through every hill and valley experience of grief. If you are struggling with a similar loss whereas the Toby Mac tragedy triggered your own pain from those prior losses, I encourage you to find trusted listeners to share what is going on in your mind.  I would also encourage you to keep a journal, paper or blog style, and write what is on your mind as long as it takes to settle those unrestful thoughts. Lastly, I would encourage you to find a support group through this link: https://griefshare.org 

As those words suggest in his song, there are scars that come from living, but rest assured that Jesus understands those scars that He has offered to become your Good Shepherd to help you navigate the pain that suddenly appears in your life.