I drove by it today.

The Hospital.

I’m speaking this weekend at an event in Galveston, TX, and, due to another event in Dallas on Monday and Tuesday, I drove.

Driving to Galveston from Edmond, OK means driving through The Woodlands, TX, which means driving by…

The Hospital.

The Hospital is right off I-45, so you can’t miss it…

And it’s where my son, Cooper, was born.

He would die five days later at the renowned Texas Children’s Hospital in Houston.

They took him there by ambulance – and we followed in our car.

On I-45.

The Hospital and this stretch of road evoke strong memories and powerful emotions.

But this time, the strongest emotion was gratitude.

I am grateful to have my son in my life – he is still part of me.

I am grateful for the daughter that God brought into my life a year later.

I am grateful for how God has used that pain to further form my faith, and I am grateful for where God has brought me today.

So…

I drove by it, but I didn’t stop.

I remembered, I cried, I smiled, and I prayed.

But I kept moving.

There are people waiting on me to talk to them about Jesus, and so I continued to drive.

But isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

Jesus told us that we would experience trouble in this world (John 16:33) – and he’s right.

But we keep moving.

We hurt – but we keep moving.

We cry – but we keep moving.

We struggle – but we keep moving.

We grieve – but we keep moving.

We remember – and we keep moving.

We pray – and we keep moving.

We give thanks – and we keep moving.

We keep moving because Jesus also said that he has overcome the world and its trouble (John 16:33).

We keep moving because someone is always waiting for us to tell them about the One who will make all things right.

For these reasons, we “take heart” – and keep moving.

Keep moving, friends!