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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
316 | When Scars Become Stories with Pat Elsberry
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"Every scar says, 'Here's where I was broken, and here is where God met me.'" ~ Pat Elsberry
What if the deepest wound in your life could one day become your greatest testimony of God's faithfulness?
In today's episode, returning guest Pat Elsberry joins us to discuss her newest book, When Scars Become Stories: A Journey to Healing, Restoration, and Faith. After her daughter Melanie died due to addiction in 2020, Pat began the difficult journey of child loss ... a journey that has deepened her faith and shaped the message of hope she now shares with others.
Together, we explore many of the themes woven throughout her book, including the physical effects of grief, learning to grieve with hope and grace, finding God's presence in the darkest valleys, and discovering how our scars can become stories that point others to Jesus.
If you've ever wondered whether joy can exist alongside sorrow, this conversation offers biblical encouragement and practical hope for wherever you are on your grief journey.
In this episode, you'll hear:
- The often-overlooked physical effects of child loss.
- What it means to grieve with hope rather than without hope.
- Why hope is the oxygen grieving parents desperately need.
- How God's grace enables us to keep moving forward.
- The beautiful picture of kintsugi and how God restores broken hearts.
- Why our scars are not something to hide but testimonies of God's faithfulness.
- How worship and praise become powerful anchors during grief.
- What it means to be comforted by God so we can comfort others.
- The reassurance that we serve El Roi, the God who sees us.
- How to weather unexpected "tsunami waves" of grief.
- Practical signs that healing is quietly taking place.
- Why living with an eternal perspective changes everything.
- The hope of reunion with our children through Jesus Christ.
Whether your loss is recent or decades behind you, Pat reminds us that grief and hope can exist together ... that our children's stories still matter, and that God is still writing our stories.
Resources Mentioned
- When Scars Become Stories: A Journey to Healing, Restoration, and Faith by Pat Elsberry
- Pat's website: Hope During Loss
- Connect with Pat on Facebook and Instagram
- Listen to Pat's previous appearance on the While We're Waiting podcast (Episode 219 and Episode 220), where she shares Melanie's story.
** 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.
We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!
Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents
Click HERE to learn more about our network of While We're Waiting support groups all across the country.
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Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org
