While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
This is a podcast FOR bereaved parents BY bereaved parents. Join your host, Jill Sullivan, as she talks with parents who have lost children of all ages to all types of circumstances. This is a podcast of stories ... stories of devastating loss and grief and heartbreak and struggle ... and stories of hope and healing and faith, and yes, even joy. Underlying every conversation will be the hope we have in Jesus Christ, which makes it possible to not just survive the loss of a child, but to live well while we're waiting to see them again in Heaven one day. Visit our website at www.WhileWereWaiting.org for more information about our nonprofit ministry to bereaved parents.
While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
288 | Grace for the Year Ahead
“Moving forward doesn’t mean leaving my child behind.”
As one year ends and another begins, many people are eager to turn the page. For bereaved parents, however, the arrival of a new year can feel heavy and overwhelming. A new calendar can make us feel like we're leaving our child behind—and that can be deeply painful.
In this encore episode, Jill shares ten faith-anchored resolutions shaped by her own journey of grief after the loss of her daughter, Hannah. These are not resolutions about self-improvement or moving on, but about extending grace, caring for a grieving heart, and leaning fully on God’s strength.
Originally recorded near the close of 2020 in the height of the Covid pandemic, this episode acknowledges both personal loss and collective weariness, offering encouragement for grieving parents entering a new year they may not feel ready to face.
In this episode, you’ll hear reflections on:
- Why stepping into a new year can feel especially difficult after child loss
- Being patient and kind with yourself as grief unfolds
- Extending grace to others who don’t know what to say or do
- Learning to communicate what you need—and honoring your limits
- Finding joy in small, God-given moments
- Letting go of guilt, blame, and “if only” thinking
- Standing on God’s truth when emotions feel overwhelming
- Depending on God’s strength when your own is gone
The episode closes with a prayer from Verdell Davis’s book Let Me Grieve, But Not Forever, reminding listeners of the deep lessons learned in the valley and the sustaining grace of God who meets us there.
** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.
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