Nov
03
2009
An Interview with Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman’s new album, Beauty Will Rise, is the first recording he has done since the tragic death of his 5-year-old daughter, Maria Sue.
CT’s Mark Moring interviewed Steven about the album and about the pain in their grief. Here’s an excerpt:
Ain’t feeling it at all. I’m just not sure. I needed to hear my pastor speak truth again to me. I needed to hear somebody say again, here’s what’s true.
That has been an important process, the whole thing of taking every thought captive and saying, God, this is what I choose to believe. Because I’ve found myself, especially in the first few days and weeks after Maria went to heaven—and there’s still moments of this—that I could almost feel myself being sucked into this black hole of doubt and despair. Of saying, “God, if I let myself keep going in this direction, there seems to be no bottom, no end to this, and I’ll never be able to escape from it.”
At the hospital at Vanderbilt, literally within an hour of knowing that my little girl was in heaven with Jesus, I found myself having to make a choice, when I would start to feel myself and everything in me being sucked into this place, this abyss. I would begin to say, “Blessed be the name of the Lord. You give. You take away. But, God, I trust you. I trust you. You are faithful. You are good. I trust you. I trust you.” And as I would say that, literally just choose to make that declaration in the midst of this, I would almost physically feel myself being pulled back from that place. And I’d start to breathe again.
But it wouldn’t be long before I would go, “But, God, what? How could this happen? How are we ever going to survive?” And it’s like here I go back into that black, dark place.
But there was a grace to even recognize that you were falling into that place.
Yes. That is the grace and the gift of God to be able, in that process, to make that choice. That’s the crazy theology of all that—to even be able to make that choice to say, “God, I trust you,” that is a gift of grace. But we’re making that choice over and over again.
6 Comments
“But there was a grace to even recognize that you were falling into that place.”
That is profound – very helpful. I can relate and I will be quoting that line. Thanks for passing this along, Justin.
How precious is this testimony. Thanks for this post, Justin. Thanks to Stephen Curtis Chapman for testifying to God’s grace through what would be a horribly dark time. I have three little girls and a weak faith. I don’t know how I would handle such a thing but I fear I would not respond well. I thank God for testimonies like this one.
Steven has been brutally honest about all the struggles and what has shined through is a man and family of deep faith , held together by grace amid the fears,doubts and questions. His testimony will be used to help many , as God in his grace works through him . The new Cd will impact those who have struggled with many of the same questions amid cancer,death,divorce ..etc . Just be prepared with a Kleenex because the songwriting is raw and emotional . But ultimately it resonates with hope in God and the gospel of Jesus Christ.As he ends the Cd , spring is coming and a new day dawns for all who have their hope in Christ for he has risen . Get the CD , it is a truly amazing journey.
[...] over the past couple months as all that begins in the fall goes full steam ahead. But reading this little post from Justin Taylor on this CT interview with Steven Curtis Chapman sparked my [...]
[...] HT: Justin Taylor [...]
[...] An Interview with Steven Curtis Chapman by Justin Taylor Between Two Worlds [...]