Skilyr Hicks

I don’t know how I’m going to live without her. I begged her time and time again. “Skilyr please…please don’t make me do this life without you.” I can’t begin to count the number of times I woke up in the middle of the night and cried out her name….begging the Lord to deliver her…pleading for more time. I kept asking God for the “in life” testimony…the song she’d be here to write about the day Jesus set her free. God said he would deliver her….that the work he began would be completed.

I just realized as I sat at my kitchen table this morning with my Bible and my coffee…the work he began in her…is completed as promised. She gallantly ran through the finish line holding a banner of freedom and into the arms of the Great I Am. No more sorrow or sadness or wadded up Kleenex on the floor. No more lost words of comfort in the air…or foggy image in the mirror. The very moment she stepped into glory, she recognized beauty in her reflection, She knew that she was wonderfully and fearfully made.,,more precious than diamonds and rubies.

Her soul is filled with the sweetest peace and greatest joy…unlike anything she’s ever felt. Every scar is healed and every trace of sadness…is gone from her face. Today she’s doing more than just smiling…she’s gleaming…glowing in splendor and glory at the feet of Jesus A golden guitar is in her hand…inflections of harps and subtle beats of trumpets accompany the perfect pitch of angel harmonies singing a million hallelujahs. .

Skilyr’s fleshly role on this earth is complete. Satan can’t narrate the story of the soul he does not own. God began writing a new song with the love she gave with the life she lived. This song uses every high and every low and calls it beautiful. It exposes the Wolves dressed in genuine condolence attempting to feast on the soul they can no longer torture.

A powerless Public opinion enthusiastically types their final verdict….a life well lived or a life wasted. The eyes that can’t see and the ears that can’t hear; they didn’t anticipate God using what was intended for her harm for his good, that he would expose the shackles of silence through her exposure while glorifying the legacy of his love. .

Let’s face it….who anxiously yells from the mountain tops; “My daughter or son has mental health issues aka “crazy” and self medicates so that she can feel normal aka hate herself a little less! Aka “dirty junky”/waste. As a society…we invest more time highlighting trophies while low lighting the areas that are destroying our sons and daughters. The pandemic didn’t just arrive…it’s been here all along…silently sifting it’s poison.

Skilyr’s battle evidently wasn’t meant to be private. And when you’re forced to hang out in the spotlight rain or shine…its either cower under embarrassment and shame….convince yourself that a 20 year old drinking underage is actually top news, or recognize the supernatural hand of favor that’s creating a platform to shine God’s light out of the rubble…straight out of the depths of the battlefield and out of the greatest sorrow.

Someone out there needs to know there’s hope; that your never too far gone or too lost for your Heavenly Father to reach you. You need to know that your past mistakes, your current struggles, the number of likes on your Facebook page does not measure your worth nor define your identify.

Your status as loved is not contingent on public opinion.

You are loved by your Heavenly Father…the one who knit you together in your mother’s womb and knows the number of hairs on your head. You are accepted as you are; broken, bruised, and barely breathing…smack dab in the middle of the biggest mess. You were never meant to carry all that weight on your shoulders.

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him, shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16.

God says In his word that nothing can ever separate us from the love of Jesus Christ. Our status as loved remains the same. It stays with us through every moment of every day. It remains through our every failure and mimics the beat of our hurting heart. God’s sacrificial love…his eternal promise remains…unlike the flowers in the field that are here today and gone tomorrow.

Skilyr accepted the Lord as Her Heavenly Father a long time ago. Even in her darkest moments, She never doubted that God sacrificed his only son for our sins, that Jesus Christ once walked this earth in human form and unimaginably suffered for our sake. God calls his children…fully known…loved and forgiven…Even when our walk grows weary…our vision cloudy…and when we feel like giving up. We are saved by God’s grace…not because we deserve it…not by good works or a perfect performance.

One day I’ll get to hold my baby girl in my arms again. One day I’ll get to feel the warmth of her hand in mine and stroke the silky curls of her hair. One day I won’t feel the pain of missing her, nor the sting of the tears in my eyes. One day I won’t miss her calling my name, nor the angelic roar of her vocals filling up every room in our house. One day I’ll gaze upon her beautiful smile and hear her laugh again. One day the sight of the clothes she’s not wearing and the guitar she’s not playing won’t take my breath away. One day we’ll sit side by side..at the feet of Jesus. No more sorrow…no more sadness….no more pain.

God…you said in your word, that when I go through deep waters…you’ll be with me. Well here I am…Cover and carry me…because i know it would be impossible to do this on my own. You will have to pick up the pieces of our shattered hearts. ❤️

Skilyr is survived by her mother, Jodi Simak Cronk and her late father, John Sidney Hicks, Siblings; Breelyn Hicks, Cain Hicks, Ryker Cronk, Keatyn Cronk and Step-father Charles Cronk. Also surviving are; Uncle Jeremy Simak (Christa), Grandparents;Joe Simak (Toni), Chris Hicks(Nadine,) and Kathy Barnes(Chris ). Great Grandparents: Joe and Marilyn Simak. many great aunts and uncles and cousins.

Skilyr is preceded in death by her fiancé, Fabian Southerland; niece, Everleigh Noelle Hicks and her uncle, Chris Hicks.

A visitation for Skilyr will be held Sunday, December 12, 2021 from 2:00 PM to 3:45 PM at Mackey Funerals and Cremations at Woodlawn Memorial Park, 1 Pine Knoll Drive, Greenville, South Carolina 29609, followed by a funeral service at 4:00 PM.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mackeywoodlawn.com for the Hicks family.