Tag: Loss

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Grieving With Hope: Finding Comfort As You Journey Through Loss~Samuel Hodges (Book Review)

Book Information:

Title: Grieving With Hope: Finding Comfort As You Journey Through Loss

Author: Samuel J. Hodges IV

Publisher: Baker Books

ISBN: 0801014239

Price: Free on Kindle Unlimited|Paperback $12.41

Affiliate Link: https://amzn.to/2WJTmCI

Book Review

After the loss of our first baby through miscarriage and the loss of my Grandmother I was in desperate need of biblical based help. That is when Grieving With Hope ended up in my lap. I cannot rave enough about this book and they way that they intricately composed the contents to make you understand that grief is not a race nor are you alone during the midst of the loss you are enduring.

The pages are filled with real life examples and testimonies of people who have endured loss. Whether you have lost a child, spouse, family member, or close friend Grieving With Hope gives you example of other people that have been through the same type of loss. One of the most beneficial testimonies in this book for me personally was about a woman who had loss friends due to her not being ready to hang out yet. For me, over the past several months it has been hard to get out of the house. Hearing that it was hard for others, made me realize that what I was feeling was normal.

(Thankfully I have friends that understand)

The main reason I love this book so much is because of the biblical application to help you heal throughout. Loss/Grief tests every bit of your faith, hope, and trust in God. They talk about how there are times anger can build up over the “why” questions. They discuss in Grieving With Hope that God can handle you asking questions. What is important is that you seek God to heal because that is where healing ultimately takes place.

Grieving With Hope is a 5/5 stars for me. The contents of the pages were like sitting in a counseling session with God and others, giving me support when I needed it most but did not know how to talk. This book gave me help I needed to press into God and make healthy decisions for myself in the midst of grief. If you or someone you know has endured a recent loss Grieving With Hope is a great tool to help heal. I recommend Grieving With Hope to those have endured any type of loss, whether it happened yesterday or 30 years ago. The way this book is laid out draws you closer to the heart of God and helps answer hard questions you may have in the midst of ongoing grief.

This book is not sponsored for a review. However, an Affiliate Link is provided above to help provide more book reviews like these. It does not cost you anything but does help a fellow author continue to provide content like this!

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To The One Who Never Got To Say Goodbye

Today is her funeral and I can’t go, I am 19 hours away. I did not think that the last time I saw your face was going to be the last time. While I am so thankful my family is able to have a small funeral, my heart is personally grieved. I can’t go. I can’t go and it hurts.

This is for those of you that stay at home orders has effected you from not being able to say goodbye to your loved ones. I know it hurts and I am so sorry. I did want to let you know you are not alone. You are not alone with everything else seeming minuscule in comparison to not being able to be surrounded with loved ones and saying goodbye to someone that meant so much. I understand that we both must choose to see past what can seem as selfish desires like getting your hair and nails done or someone not being able to go shopping. But understand, we are all going through something and we should be thankful that nails and hair are all they have to be concerned about.

I will be honest, I am not sure how things will seem when we are able to finally go see family and our loved one just is not there. While everyone seemed to be able to say goodbye, will we be left crying while everyone is laughing? I am not sure. What I do know my friend is that I am grieving with you on top of already grieving our loved ones. There is an entire different process of grief from not being able to say goodbye and I am sorry that you are going through this to. It is okay to feel sad. I am sad too. Grief has a way of effecting everything. This is no small feat, but we will get through to the other side with some help from the perfect helper.

God is with us and his love will never let us go. He is there when we realize that what we are carrying is too heavy and he is there to give us his peace. He is Immanuel, God with us. I know that this grief is a process, so please give yourself grace. Healing from grief is not a race and is not meant to be compared. It is unique to us because the relationship we had with that person and our life experiences are not the same. With this being said, please be kind to yourself and allow yourself to be healed and made whole again.

Today we may not be able to say goodbye and be surrounded with loved ones but what we do have is greater than anything we may face-Jesus. In his presence we will find beauty for ashes, joy in exchange for mourning, and peace that the world cannot possibly give. In him, we have all we need. In him, we have permission to weep and as the tears fall, as we cast our cares, he links us up with his love. In the deep of sorrow Jesus comes besides us and offers us to be an ever-present help in time of trouble. I want to leave you with what has been helping me, understanding who God is by his names spread throughout his word. His names speak of who he is and what he does. God hears us (Ishmael), he see’s us (Elroi), and he is God that is there (Jehovah Shammah). He is the Lord of Peace (Jehovah Shalom) our  perfect shepherd (Jehovah Raah). Let us invite the one who heals (Jehovah Rapha) into the grief we feel today, allowing him to make us whole. Let us be reminded that although we cannot be there in person to say goodbye, we are certainly not alone. In his presence we have all we need.

Let’s Walk It Out Together

  1. Out of all the names of God listed in this article which one stand out to you the most?
  2. Prayerfully open the word of God and find a few scriptures based upon that name.
  3. Meditate on these scriptures throughout the day. Declare them outloud! (Remember, our weapons are not carnal)

**Most of reading this have probably came here because you have lost a loved one that you have not been able to say goodbye to. I am so sorry that you have had to deal with this, as I have experienced it is added grief on top of what is already grieving. I wanted to let you know most importantly you are not alone, God is with you and I am personally going through it to.

I want to be a help in any way I can.  If you have a special prayer request or need someone to talk to please do not hesitate to email me at letlovebemymotive@gmail.com. You can find more ways to connect on my Contact page on https://letlovebemymotive.com/contact/. You can also find our prayer request page here: https://letlovebemymotive.com/prayer-requests/

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The Truth About God In The Midst of Grief

I did not realize how much God is a God of order. My life has felt like there has been trial after trial with absolutely no breathing room. Life has felt messy, really messy. But when I have been able to take a step back and see things from a different perspective I can see that God’s hand and love has been in the midst of the mess all along. I never thought in a million years I would say this, but, I am thankful that my miscarriage happened when it did. I am thankful for the miscarriage in March because little did I know, a month later I would lose my Grandmother and feel completely forgotten and forsaken by God.

You see, in both events I have pushed myself deeper into the presence of God. Not out of religious duty, but out of necessity for my savior, my counselor, my comforter, my perfect helper. I need grace for the irritability that no one told me would come with losing so much back to back. I am in desperate need of peace, strength, and most certainty mercy for all the times I have missed the mark. Grief over a 4 month span tests everything in you. It tests the foundation you stand upon, what is in your heart, and has a way of humbling you in realization that life is futile. I honestly think that even one event to grieve over is enough. As I said before, he is a God of order. Can you believe that there is purpose in your pain? I know it is hard to see, isn’t it?

If I would have never lost our child in March, when I have been feeling forsaken and forgotten, these verses would never have came so alive to me.

Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me;
the Lord has forgotten me!”
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands;
your walls are continually before me. -Isaiah 49:14-16 CSB

Have you ever felt abandoned by God? As you press yourself further and further into his presence, it seems rather like things were in the beginning (dare I say easier), he seems oddly distant. You are enduring trials, maybe like my husband and I, for months on end. You are tempted to say, “God didn’t you just see what we went through last month and the month before?”. The truth is that God was right there all along when we lost our child and he is right here in the middle of the grief of losing my Grandmother. Whatever you are going through, he is right there with you too.

“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?

Just like a woman who has lost a child, God could never forget us as his children. His love is so much more abundant than we can think or imagine. Our minds are just too finite to understand. How could God forget you? How could he forget me? He is the one who created us. He is the one still breathing life into our very lungs. He is the one who sent Jesus, his own son just so he did not have to be without us. That is love.

God does not expect you to forget the loss you have endured. He does not expect you to push forward in the newness of life without allowing him to come and help. His desires are that you to put your hope and trust in him through the grief. God desires you to remember that all he does is done out of who he is. While much of what we go through does not make sense and sometimes really hurts, it may even break your heart. You and I can always go back to trusting in who God is.

While I did not understand WHY I had a miscarriage. I do know that I am thankful that it has prepared me to understand the meaning behind Isaiah 49. I could never forget our baby. The short time he was in my womb is something that I will cherish forever. Just like I will never forget our child, God could never forget or abandon us.

If you are in a season where you feel unheard, unloved, and forgotten. Rest assured, you are written on the palm of the Lord’s hand. There is not a moment that you have left his mind or his ears have not heard your prayers. There has never been a moment that he has not actively been working everything out for your good. How could he possibly forget the one he so beautifully created, his masterpiece? Our feelings are valid and he sympathizes with all we have been through in this season. He meets us there as we are transparent with our feelings. He will meet us there with his truth. That is exactly what happened when I admitted I felt abandoned and forsaken, he washed me in his word-his perfect truth.

What are you having a hard time with today? Confess it to our loving father. Just like me, he will meet you there with grace, mercy, and love.

I will never forget this awful time,
    as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope
    when I remember this:

The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
    His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness;
    his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my inheritance;
    therefore, I will hope in him!” -Lamentations 3:20-24 NLT

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Grace Like Scarlett (Grieving With Hope After Miscarriage And Loss) Adriel Booker ~ Book Review

Book Information:

Title: Grace Like Scarlett (Grieving With Hope After Miscarriage And Loss)

Author: Adriel Booker

Publisher: Baker Books

ISBN: 0801075815

Price: On Sale Right Now For $10.38!! (Normally $14.99)

Affiliate Link To Amazon: https://amzn.to/2vForg9

Book Review

Grace Like Scarlett by Adriel Booker has been one of the pivotal tools to healing through the loss of our child. When I thought I was alone and my feelings I felt were out of the ordinary, I read through the pages Adriel poured her heart upon and the testimonies of the other women found within the pages. I was no longer alone, shame was no longer holding me captive, and I was well on my way to healing with Jesus’ hand interweaving with mine.

Grace Like Scarlett is a wonderful guide to help you grieve and begin to heal with absolutely no timeline attached. The pages are filled with grace and God’s love, from the very front all the way to the back. The book is not only memorable but easily relatable in one of the hardest journey’s you could possibly make as a woman.

I love that Adriel admits she is still healing and that grief is different for all of us. She reminds us to not compare our journey’s but to exhort one another. Another thing that I love about this book is that she always brings you back to the only one that can heal, Jesus Christ.

Everytime I thought the storm would consume me, his grace sustained me.

Adriel Booker (Grace Like Scarlett)

I was pleasantly suprised at the amount of tools that were given to not only the grieving Momma but the Father too. I believe the tools she placed in the back are a great bonus to the overall text of the book.

While I have finished reading Grace Like Scarlett for the very first time, it surely will not be my last. Throughout my personal healing journey from miscarriage I will be able to grab this and remember once again that I am not alone and where God is in the midst of all this.

Overall, I give this book a 5 out of 5. I cannot put enough emphasis on how it has helped me heal and brought me closer to God during such a dark moment of my life. Adriel Booker points you to the silver linings of one if the hardest things you may ever endure as a woman, losing a child. If you or someone you know has went through or is going through the loss of a child, please give them this tool. I thank God that he has placed it in my lap to heal.

We love you Tater Tot and miss you every single day. We cannot wait to meet you in heaven. 03.01.2020 is the beginning of a redemption story that has yet to unfold. Loving and missing you always. -Momma & Daddy

**This book was not sponsored or given to be reviewed. I just loved it so much and believe in the words written on the pages that I had to share it with you!