A Presbyterian minister who we went to Columbia Theological Seminary with has put together an Advent devotional specifically for those grieving pregnancy loss. It is called Holding Hope: Guidance for Grieving Pregnancy Loss During Advent and was written by Ashley-Anne Masters. This is the first type of devotional I’ve seen specifically for those dealing with pregnancy loss, and I think it may be a very helpful resource for those of us who do not find hope an easy topic during this Advent season. Here is an excerpt from the Week 2 devotional:
Yet, holding onto hope in the midst of grief and pain is not always easy. We may keep watch and be ready for hope to arrive, but feel that hope is taking too long to get here. We may feel hopeful that tomorrow will be better than today, and only moments later, feel hopeless. We try to grasp some good news, some sense of normal, something, anything, to help us feel better, only to feel useless or shameful for trying to hold on. We want to hold hope, we need to hold hope, but what if the night is too dark and we miss out on hope altogether?
You can find the introduction to the Advent devotional here, and find the weekly readings here: Week 1, Week 2, Week 3 and Week 4. If you are experiencing grief for any type of pregnancy loss this season, perhaps this Advent devotional might be something of interest to you.
Stacy S. says
Adam, we have a lot of mutual friends but I don’t think we have ever met. I work for the Church Health Center, the organization that put together “Holding Hope” with Ashley-Anne, and am so glad that you have found peace and help in the words of the resource. There are just too many families who grieve a loss like this alone and we are so glad to have a means of help available online. We are also working hard to put some more materials together for the site, and I hope that as you grieve the loss of Micah and Judah you will let us know what else we can provide to pastors and lay people who are grieving. Thanks and my prayers are with you…