Child loss is difficult to explain if you haven't been there, as it is with most things in life. The parents who have shared their stories in Until Then: Stories of Loss and Hope have experienced just that—the grief of losing a child.

Truth is not really hard to recognize when we stick close to Jesus. Recognize your vulnerability, and stay close to Him.

I have the assurance that He is moving and working. While I’m waiting, He is orchestrating.

If you are a bereaved parent, then we hope the discussion might be helpful to you. If you are not a bereaved parent, then perhaps listening to the questions and answers will give you insights into what your grieving friends are experiencing and will help you better be able to offer comfort and support.

Is there something that God wants you to do? Is your faith stronger than your fear? Perhaps you are also here “for such a time as this,” and He will provide the courage that you need.

At the start of this journey of loss, every occasion like this spurred prolonged times of sorrow, as my mind and heart tried to understand the new reality. If you are a newly bereaved parent, you may be in that situation.

“Be still, my soul, the hour is hastening on; when we shall be forever with the Lord. When disappointment, grief and fear are gone; sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.”

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” — Hebrews 4:12

And in the middle of being thankful, the most important fact that we’ll be grateful for is that this separation is completely temporary. We know how this story ends! One day, in the not-so-distant future, we won’t have to miss him anymore.

May it be said of us that when trouble, heartache, and suffering came to us that we “prayed earnestly to the Lord” and trusted Him. Then we will see that God will be faithful to those He created and loves — you and me.

Music has a way of touching our hearts, doesn’t it? When we are walking the journey of grief because of the loss of someone dear, music can be a gift, bringing comfort, hope, and peace.

If you are a bereaved parent, then I’m guessing that nearly every day something in your life spurs a memory of your sweet child. Last week, a winter storm dropped several inches of snow, to our usually mild-weathered state of Virginia. The breathtaking view out my window took my mind back to previous years.

If you’re not a bereaved parent but have a friend who has lost a child, you might wonder how you can be a comfort and blessing to them. Honestly, it’s not the “big” things that really help the most, it’s the little things. (This post includes a downloadable booklet.)

In today’s post, we want to veer from the usual blog topics to take a few moments to share with you about all that is happening with Our Hearts Are Home. We also want to present three ways that you can become involved if you would like: help us spread the word, partner in prayer, and/or help support the ministry financially. 

Have you experienced earth-shattering, beyond belief storms yet in your life? If not, you will. The longer you live, the more you will experience these times of hardship, heartache, illness, pain, death, and overwhelming grief. The storms of earthly life unleash with great fury.

After losing a child, how do you deal with the memories like these that are so vividly recorded in your brain? If you are new to this journey, then every picture, every memory, every reminder may bring waves of grief and tears. But I want to encourage you that there will be a day when those remembrances no longer cause such a painful response.

The fear I’ve experienced is not from the Lord, and I’ve come to believe that it’s the opposite of trusting Him. You see, of the more than five hundred times that the Bible discusses fear, the instructions to us over and over are to NOT fear.