A year ago today I woke up to the most devastating event I’ve experienced in Las Vegas. October 1, 2017 58 people lost their lives due to an active shooter at the Route 91 concert.

My husband woke me up earlier than usual to share this awful news. We immediately began scrolling through Facebook and sending out texts. So many of our friends had been at the concert. Thankfully, all of them made it out alive.

But for the 58 people who didn’t make it home that night, we prayed for their mourning families. Today, we’re Vegas Stronger. It’s events like these that make it even more important to hold tight to God.

The song “faith hope love repeat” really resonated with me this morning as I have been reflecting on this anniversary. The lyrics say “I brought you into this world and I know it’s a little bit crazy.”

How scary is it to think that me or my family could easily have been one of those victims. But like the song continues “we need faith, hope, love” to make it through.

Even in the darkest of times, God is there. He has never once abandoned us and never will. He made the ultimate sacrifice in the hopes that one day we might say yes to him.

Even if you didn’t lose anyone or attend that concert, you can still feel the pain such an event caused to our city. I encourage you to show some extra compassion and love today to your coworkers, friends, family and strangers. You never know how someone is hurting and how just a simple smile can help them see God.