California megachurch pastor and Harvest Crusades founder Greg Laurie is opening up about long-term grief as he reflects on the loss of his son, who died 15 years ago.
In a video titled "Hope For Hurting Hearts," Laurie and his wife, Cathe, reflected on the death of their son, Christopher Laurie, who passed away in a car accident in 2008.
"When I heard the news that our son had died, I went into a state of shock. I collapsed on the ground. I couldn't stand. I couldn't believe it was true," Laurie, who leads Harvest Christian Fellowship, tweeted on July 24, commemorating the loss of his son. "I thought this is a dream. It's a nightmare. And I'm going to wake up from it. I know I will. But I didn't."
15 years.
— Greg Laurie (@greglaurie) July 24, 2023
That’s how long it has been since I saw my oldest son Christopher.
15 years since I heard his voice, saw him laugh or held him close.
And today, July 24th, 2023 marks that date.
That’s a long time to be separated from someone you love.
Our son was called home… pic.twitter.com/TbJzl4UvL6
He recalled that he had shared on the day of the accident: "Strangely, in this dark place, God was there with me, and I sensed his presence.
"I said to God, 'You gave him to us, and I give him back to you,'" Laurie continued.
The megachurch pastor then encouraged fellow Christians that "death is not the end" for them.
"I will see my son Christopher again," he asserted.
During the video, Laurie and Cathe recalled their emotions immediately following the tragedy.
"When you have someone that you love go to heaven, you're in pain. You don't feel sorry for them. You feel sorry for you because you can't talk to them," Laurie explained. "The first hours are just so, so hard."
"Why did this happen? Why? Why? Why? Why was it not me instead of him?" Laurie admitted to asking.
"We all project our lives and what they will look like into the future," Cathe said. "And I felt as if someone had taken a big eraser to the chalkboard of my dreams and just erased everything and said, 'It's all going to be different.'"
"Everything you imagined—your future, your life with your children, your grandchildren, growing old is gone," she added. "It's not going to be the way you imagined."
During the video, Laurie shared that he and his wife have since "experienced the comfort that only God can give."
"I just baptized both of his daughters, Stella and Lucy," Laurie noted. "They are both beautiful young ladies now, following the Lord."
He concluded his tweet by encouraging those who have recently lost loved ones.
"Maybe you have recently lost a loved one, and you don't know how you will cope," Laurie said. "God will be there for you too. Just call out to him."
"Psalm 34:18 says that 'The Lord is close to the brokenhearted: He rescues those whose spirits are crushed,'" Laurie concluded.
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Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Jon Kopaloff/Stringer
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
