It’s said that hard times can either make you better or bitter. Christian recording artist Toby McKeehan aka TobyMac is processing through the loss of his son in 2019 from an accidental overdose of fentanyl and amphetamines. But instead of growing bitter, TobyMac is allowing the grief and pain to make him better. While some people can’t reconcile pain and faith, Mac has used the pain to draw closer to God and experience him in a way he never had before.
In a recent interview, TobyMac processed some of that grief out loud and shared, “Some days it hits you really hard…it comes in waves, the truth is I didn’t know grief really I just felt like everything was beautiful and perfect until the last few years. When we lost Truett I met grief in the fiercest way,” Toby explained.
Toby went on to share about a friend he met and golfed with who had lost his son in a car accident. Toby believed he had providentially met him prior to the loss of his son Truett and he believed God was preparing him for what was ahead.
Mac remained in touch and they thankfully were able to encourage each other to hold on to the promises of God.
“He told me when you go through something hard you have to grab onto something you can trust, and his thing was you have to grab hold of the promises of God.”
Mac shared that some people will grab hold off the pain and become bitter, but he insisted on knowing what God has promised in his Word, that though we go through hard times, loss, and grief, God’s promise is that he will be with us not that you won’t go through it.
“You have to grab a hold of something God has promised us. God didn’t promise us we wouldn’t face loss, he promised he would never leave us or forsake us.”
In the midst of the pain and loss, Toby has found his faith deepening and his heart softening to God saying, “That’s what we hold on and I found him there or he found me there.”
The importance of community in his time of grief and sorrow couldn’t be overlooked either. Toby shared how important it was to have loved ones surround him in his darkest moment and love you and be with you. Toby shared how the love he received from his friends and family on social media and people who enjoy his music was also a source of strength.
“The way I was prayed for the way my family was prayed for…we felt surrounded by love, to me that’s what the body of Christ should look like.”
They say that pain and loss can make you better or bitter, and for Toby, he has allowed this tragedy to draw him closer to God. “Through what I experienced and the grief I experienced, I just feel like I didn’t know God stayed close in those times, but I have learned that he does, I really have.”
TobyMac has experienced phenomenal success as a recording artist, landing 20 solo singles on Billboard‘s Christian Songs list. He has sold more than 10 million albums and won seven Grammy Awards.
