In her most personal release yet, Peg Luke offers a tender but unshakable testimony with “Smiling Through The Pain”—a song written from the heart of suffering, and sung as a quiet declaration of faith.
The Emmy and Grammy-nominated artist, best known for her classically trained flute performances and stirring sacred compositions, steps into even more intimate territory here. Diagnosed with a serious autoimmune condition three years ago and forced into isolation since the pandemic began, Luke has channeled her experience into a song that is part lament, part prayer, and wholly grounded in truth.
From the opening line—“Tears well up in my soul / I don’t have anything left”—Luke pulls no punches about the realities of living with pain. But the beauty of this piece isn’t in polished production or lyrical perfection—it’s in its honesty. There is no performative joy here, no overused phrases meant to bypass the depth of suffering. Instead, Peg Luke sings the kind of song you write when you’ve cried every tear, prayed every prayer, and found yourself still standing, not because of your strength, but because of God’s.
What makes “Smiling Through The Pain” especially moving is its restraint. Luke doesn’t offer answers or clichés. She simply tells the truth. “I’m smiling, I don’t really know why,” she admits—an achingly human moment that so many believers will recognize. It’s the sound of someone clinging to faith not because it’s easy, but because it’s the only thing left.
Peg Luke says the song began with her personal struggles, but took on new layers as the world around her also seemed to fall apart—from the chaos of wildfires to political shifts and uncertainty. “It became bigger,” she explains. “And it meant more.” That’s exactly what listeners will feel. Though born from her own pain, this is a song for anyone who has wondered where God is in the middle of the storm—and come to find He’s never left.
The song closes with a coda that lingers long after the final note: “God will be with us.” It’s a soft-spoken promise, but no less powerful. In that one line, Peg Luke anchors the entire song—and perhaps even her entire season of life—in unshakable truth.
“Smiling Through The Pain” is a personal psalm. A modern-day hymn written not from triumph, but from trust. Peg Luke doesn’t ask for sympathy. She offers solidarity—for all who suffer, all who endure, and all who still believe.
