You might be thinking, “odd title for a Favorites Friday Hil…” but this has been on my heart lately and I wanted to share. 

I’m sure you’ve heard, about a month ago singer songwriter Christina Grimmie has gunned down and killed while signing autographs after a show. She was young, beautiful, and so talented. She had so much life to live. 

Celebrities die all the time. We feel bad for the people we think we know but really don’t. But Christina’s death really affected me. I had listened to her music for years; way before she became “famous.” I hadn’t listened to her much in the last year but still, when I saw her name on the breaking news story, I was utterly shocked and horrified. 

For the first time, I think I truly mourned the death of a celebrity. She didn’t know me and I didn’t really know her…but her death left me broken. Her vocals were so good I often wished I could sing like her. Christina could do riffs and frills vocally like nobodies business. She pointed others to Christ and used her platform to talk about Jesus. 

Her life was so tragically ended. Gunned down in the middle of her fans, next to get brother. It was senseless. It was brutal and horrific. She didn’t deserve that ending. 

I don’t really know if we can truly mourn someone we don’t even know; but in this instance I feel like did. I mourned the loss of a talented singer, a child of God, and a girl that shined because of Jesus. I think many mourned with me. 

It’s weird to think I’ll never get to hear another song from her. She was an iconic part of music in my teens; her YouTube channel was one I listened to often. Here are a few of my favorites: 

The only comfort is know that she was a believer in Jesus and we will see her again in heaven. Who knows, maybe we will be friends and sing a few worship songs together.