Silke Jasso
Not perfect, just forgiven. Most Christians are familiar with that phrase. It means that, although they have professed their faith to Christ, that doesn’t mean that they never fall – they just keep trying.
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Aaron Watson, who set Nashville’s country music industry on their ears in 2015 when, as an independent artist with no major label push, his album, “The Underdog,” debuted in the coveted No. 1 spot on the Billboard charts. He single-handedly put himself on the mainstream country music map and on Music Row’s radar.
He’s obviously talented, but he’s also handsome, funny and one of the kindest souls in a cowboy hat. And, he’s a devout Christian who doesn’t shy away from speaking about his faith, as well as his imperfections. But, while he was raised in a loving Christian home, it was a personal tragedy that brought him closer to Jesus.
Aaron and his wife, Kim, lost their fourth child, Julia Grace, shortly after birth from Trisomy 18.
In an exclusive interview with Rare Country, Aaron talked about that difficult time. “I’ve had tragedy in my life, and I’ve felt the love of Jesus help me get through those tough times,” Aaron says. “When we lost our little girl, Julia Grace, five years ago, I was devastated, I was distraught, heartbroken, homesick. Everything in life felt completely meaningless for such a long time. It was the power of prayer and the hope that I have in my heart knowing that, because of what Jesus has done for me, that I’m going to get to see my little girl again some day in Heaven.”
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The Amarillo, Texas, native memorialized Julia Grace in the song “Bluebonnets” on “The Underdog.”
Make no mistake, though, despite his close relationship with Christ, Aaron also admits to being as flawed as the rest of us. Like any cowboy, he gets a little riled up when he says, “One thing that annoys me a lot is that a lot of people think that because you’re a Christian, you’re supposed to be perfect, and I’m as jacked up as any individual on the face of God’s green earth. I have my own demons, my own skeletons. I’m a sinner, without a doubt. I don’t sit here and act like I’m high and mighty, and I’m not a holy roller.”
His ire turns to a smile you can almost hear as he adds, “The reason why I need Jesus in my life is because I’m a constant screw up.”
From the sweet things Kim says about her husband on Instagram and the smiles on his three children’s faces, something tells us that Aaron’s “screw ups” aren’t anything that can’t be forgiven.
Aaron’s new album, “Vaquero,” comes out Feb. 24, and we can say without hesitation, he just keeps getting better.
