Like a River: Finding the Faith and Strength to Move Forward after Loss and Heartache

by Granger Smith

Like a river, life is full of twists and turns. Like a river, we will encounter storms, debris, shallows, deep, calm, and turbulence. But like a river, regardless of the obstacles, there is always a path downstream.

Why does social media enthrall us so much? Don’t we know from my story and countless others that it’s all a lie? We only post things the way we want everyone else to perceive it. Sure, it can be lined in truth, but we still pick only the best photo with the best lighting from our best side. We edit the caption and then edit it again until it reads exactly like what we hope everyone believes about us.

It’s kind of like that story I’ve heard that says at some point in your childhood, you and your friends went outside to play together for the last time, and none of you knew it. I felt that.

God uses us to help others, and when we do, we experience a peace that surpasses understanding—peace like a river.

Consider this. Happiness happens to you. It’s something you feel when things are going well. It’s temporary. But joy is different. It’s an internal peace, a gift that can never be replaced or taken away, which means it can exist even alongside our deepest sorrow.

Give me new desires only for the eternal things, not the earthly ones. Increase my faith in You and not on my own understanding. Remove any illusion that this home is forever . . . because it’s not. Once again, God, renew me.

I’m not special. I’m not unique. I’m certainly not deserving of grace, and there are only two words that can complete that thought—But God.