Episode 398 - Held Together When Everything is Falling Apart with Amber Smith

The Nothing Is Wasted Podcast

Davey Blackburn and Aubrey Sampson

Religion & Spirituality, Christianity

4.9 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 9 October 2025

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

How do you begin to heal after facing every parent’s worst imaginable nightmare — the loss of a child? And how can a marriage withstand, and even grow, through such profound grief?Amber Smith’s life appeared picture-perfect. Married to country music artist Granger Smith, she was a mother to three young children, living what many would consider a dream. But in an instant, that dream shattered. While playing outside with his siblings and father, Amber and Granger’s three-year-old son, River, was found unresponsive in the family’s pool. He later passed away. The heartbreak was unimaginable, and the path to healing—both individually and as a couple—was long, painful, and complex.In the wake of their loss, Amber and Granger began a new journey—a calling toward ministry and helping others find hope in the midst of their pain. Yet, the road has been anything but easy.Amber’s new book, The Girl on the Bathroom Floor: Held Together When Everything is Falling Apart, chronicles her journey of encountering God in the depths of grief and learning to take steps forward after unspeakable sorrow.In this powerful conversation, Davey and Amber discuss the role of lament in processing pain, how to be present for others walking through deep suffering, and how to navigate the guilt that often follows tragedy.If you or someone you love has experienced the loss of a child, this episode offers a message of hope—that even when everything feels like it’s falling apart, there is a God who holds you through the pain. Website: https://arisewithamber.com/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/amberemilysmith YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AmberEmilySmith/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arisewithamber/ Book: The Girl on the Bathroom Floor: Held Together When Everything is Falling Aparthttps://amzn.to/4mpEeDP Granger Smith Episode 325: https://www.nothingiswasted.com/podcast1/episode-325 Wondering where to get started on your journey towards healing? Join Davey on our next FREE, live Zoom call and find out how you can begin to take back your story and how Nothing is Wasted can help. Sign up today at: www.nothingiswasted.com/starthere Looking for help in navigating the valley of pain and trauma? Our Nothing is Wasted coaches can help: www.nothingiswasted.com/coaching Want a pathway through your pain? The Pain to Purpose Course can lead you through all you've been through: www.nothingiswasted.com/paintoppurpose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to the Nothing is Wasted podcast, where we meet you in your pain and help you discover a pathway through.
0:09.6	No matter what you've faced or what you're walking through now, we believe your story isn't over.
0:15.0	Each week, you'll hear powerful conversations with people who've partnered with God to reclaim their stories of trauma, loss, and heartbreak, and we'll chat with Christian experts who offer wisdom and
0:26.2	practical tools for healing. This is a place of hope, redemption, and the reminder that
0:31.5	even in your darkest moments, God is still writing your story, because with him, nothing is wasted.
0:39.0	I'm your host, Davey Blackburn.
0:50.4	Well, hello, hello, welcome to the Nothing is Wasted podcast.
0:53.2	I'm so grateful that you are joining me or yet again another wonderful conversation. This week's guest is Amber Smith, who is the wife of former country artist turned pastor Granger Smith. If you've been a longstanding listener of the Nothing Is Wasted podcast, you'll remember that we had Granger on the podcast on episode 325.
1:16.3	So actually wasn't that far back.
1:18.9	However, we're, wow.
1:20.6	I mean, we are right now nearing 400 episodes.
1:26.8	I mean, just a few episodes away here. This is at episode 398. That is
1:31.5	quite a milestone, quite a feat. So back on episode 325, we interviewed Granger Smith, Amber's
1:37.8	husband. And we talked to him about the loss of their son river.
1:46.4	And that was an extremely touching, extremely meaningful and moving conversation that we
1:52.8	have with Granger.
1:53.4	And this time, we are hearing from Amber's perspective and getting a mother's perspective on this loss. And I know that already
2:03.9	when I say this, and I kind of give you preface as to what this conversation is about and who we're
2:08.2	talking to, already there are going to be some of you who, because you're a parent, because you have
2:13.5	young kids at home, you're going to be tempted to tune this out or turn this off.
2:19.1	And it's kind of an interesting phenomenon that we have as human beings that when we hear
2:24.1	something that we would consider, we hear a story or we hear of news or something that we would
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