There is a specific kind of silence that follows a blow from someone you love. It’s not the silence of peace; it’s the heavy, suffocating silence of a heart trying to process why the hands meant to hold it are the very ones trying to break it. I write today because I need to breathe. I write because, if I don't, the weight of these burdens might just pull me under. The Pain of the Hidden Truth We’ve all been there. You look at the person you admire most, the one you’ve cheered for in every season, and you realize they are using their words not to build you up, but to cut you down. It is a staggering irony: those we honor often choose to meet us with dishonor. I’ve spent so many nights wondering why the people closest to us become our greatest battlefields instead of our safe harbors. We talk about faith, we speak of grace, and we acknowledge that none of us are perfect—but shouldn't time count for something? I hoped for maturity. I hoped they would see the "evol...
Three weeks ago, I preached my very first eulogy—stepping in for my dad, who had to be rushed to the hospital. The message I shared came from his sermon notes, “Death Is Only a Shadow.” One verse that stood out to me during that message was from 1 Samuel 20:3 , where David said to Jonathan: “But truly, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” If I’m honest, 2025 has felt like a year marked by loss. Death has been moving through families and communities, hitting hard and often. I’ve attended more funerals this year than I can count. I’ve seen more “In Memory Of” posts and RIP tributes than I ever wanted to. I’ve cried tears of sorrow for loved ones and friends who are no longer here—people I can’t call, laugh with, or hug on this side of heaven. I’ve also carried the weight of others’ grief, feeling the sting of their pain. One thing is certain: we will all walk that road when our time comes. The real question is—are we living with the end...