Today’s episode is probably one of my favorite interviews I’ve ever done, and it was honestly pretty emotional for me. During our dark season of marriage, Cheri Keaggy’s music was a comfort to my heart.

You see, music is a powerful delivery truck for truth for me. When I listen to the truth of God’s Word set to music, it helps that truth to reside in my soul and stay there. In today’s episode, I’m chatting openly with Cheri about navigating the complicated mix of the beauty and pain we experience in life.

Cheri has been ministering through music for over 30 years. She’s an incredible songwriter and I think you’ll appreciate this conversation I had with her about how she has navigated deep loss, what it looks like to trust God in hard seasons, and the role music has played in her life journey.

Trigger Warning: I do want to let you know that this episode contains discussions about suicide, specifically Cheri losing her father to suicide. If this topic could be triggering to you, I want you to be aware of that. 

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• A clip of one of my favorite songs Cheri has written
• The role music played in Cheri’s healing journey
• How God can bring purpose to our pain
• Encouragement for the hard seasons of life

I hope this episode is an encouragement to your heart this week!

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• No More Perfect Books
• Follow Cheri on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube
• Cheri’s Website
• Song – “When You Were Jesus to Me”
• Listen to Cheri’s Music on Spotify
• The Grief Recovery Handbook
• Aftershock: Help, Hope, and Healing in the Wake of Suicide
• Grieving a Suicide: A Loved One’s Search for Comfort, Answers, and Hope
• As a thank you for listening, get your 3 free eBooks.

My Key Takeaways:

1) Your sorrows will not be wasted. When we go through hard things, it can be hard to see how any beauty could come from that situation. However, difficult situations are not the end of our story. Because of our unique life experiences, both good and bad, we can relate to and encourage others in similar situations. God may use this time to reveal something about Himself to you or to deepen your relationship with Him. While God may not have caused these things to come into your life, He does have the power to redeem and use those hard things in other ways. This doesn’t mean the pain will disappear, but it does mean that God is walking with you in whatever you are going through.

2) Find ways you can pour out your heart. Cheri uses her music to pour out her heart and feelings. It’s a tangible way that she is able to express and process what she is going through. It doesn’t have to be through music, but look to find ways that you can pour out your heart. That may look like journaling or taking long walks where you talk out loud or it could even be some other creative process that allows you the space to think and express how you feel. How are you able to pour out your heart to God?

3) There is hope. It’s worth saying again and again: There is hope! I know hard times come and often feel like they’ll never leave. Hope does not mean the absence of struggles and heartache. The hope that we have is in something more. If you are a believer in Jesus, the hope that you have is in a world that one day will have no pain and all wrongs will be righted. If you are not a believer, I’d be honored to talk with you about what this hope looks like. Reach out by email today (resources (at) jillsavage.org). 

About Cheri:

Cheri Keaggy is a gospel singer and songwriter as well as the 1998 Dove Award winner. Cheri started out as a worship leader at a small church in Southern California. Today, she is on the verge of releasing her first studio album in seven years called What I Know to be True. In this album, she celebrates the joys of marriage, becoming a grandparent, but also the devastating sorrow of losing a loved one to suicide. Cheri lives south of Nashville with her husband, Steven, and their dog, Sadie. She has two adult children and two grandchildren. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, journaling, and spending time with family.