Help for Those Grieving the Loss of a Child
Recently our web article, “And Then Everything Changed” has received a lot of attention. The story about Jessica Nichols and the hardship she suffered while suffering a heart attack and the loss of a child drew many readers who also shared it with Facebook friends.
We know that “The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth,” (Psalm 145:18) and He will be near to anyone facing the loss of a child. We created this list of resources available through our website to provide encouragement and hope for you or for those you seek to help.
Grief is not a problem that you can fix in a day, or a week. Grief is a process that you sort of live out through your life, if you need to, such as in the loss of your child.
Articles
”God Has Not Forgotten You” by Leslie Barner
”Grief: Finding Hope in the Darkness” by Paul David Tripp
”After a Failed Pregnancy: Finding Our Road to Better Days” by Jim Mitchell
“Losing a Child At 35 Weeks in the Womb” by Lee Walti
“From the Valley to the Mountaintop” by Dennis Rainey
FamilyLife Today broadcasts
“The Joy of Birth in the Shadow of Fear” with Rebecca Mutz. First of a series that includes her husband, Jake, in-laws Bill and Pam Mutz, and parents Dennis and Barbara Rainey.
‘Riding the Wave of Loss” with Andy and Nikki Bray. Directors of FamilyLife New Zealand, Andy and Nikki talk candidly to Dennis Rainey about the tragic flash flood that took the life of the their oldest daughter, Natasha, at the age of 16
Books
When Life is Changed Forever, by Rick Taylor. Rick tells about the death of his son and the slow and painful path he and his wife, Judy, walked afterward.
A Grace Disguised, by Jerry Sittser. Loss in life is inevitable, but it’s possible to harness the hardship of loss and turn it into a positive event in your life. Sittser explores painful events like divorce, death, and illness and shows that it’s not the circumstances we find ourselves in at these points of loss, but how we respond to them that widens our spiritual capacity to experience blessing and growth in the midst of grief.
Helpful Scripture passages
Lamentations 3:21-23: But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
Psalm 146:5-7: Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14: Always remember that we grieve, but not as those who have no hope, because we do have hope, if we believe that Jesus died and rose again.