by Kevin /
Pregnancy and infant loss awareness began to gain official recognition in October, 1988 under a designation by President Ronald Reagan. Since then it has become an international movement that marks each October 15 as a Remembrance Day.
This year, we are delighted to be a small part of the effort to bring attention to the tragedy of miscarriage and related traumas–deeply painful, surprisingly common, and so often misunderstood or trivialized. Specifically, we want to highlight the eternal power of the good news of Jesus Christ as the single best source of comfort and hope for those who have suffered these kinds of loss.
In 2014 we realized there was no book on miscarriage from a clear, gospel-based perspective, so we asked Jessalyn Hutto to write one. She produced a powerfully transparent, biblically faithful book that we released this past March, with accolades from author and speaker Jen Wilkin, Russell and Maria Moore (Dr. Moore being President of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission), and many more. Following is a brief excerpt from her book.
Miscarriage: An Unseen Grief
In our post-fall world, sin and death affect every facet of our lives. This terrible reality means that many pregnancies will end in sorrow rather than joy. Yet this specific type of loss, which is so overwhelmingly common, is rarely addressed from the pulpit—or even by women’s ministries. Many couples choose not to share their loss with their church body due to its extremely personal nature. I believe this unfortunately perpetuates the false notion that miscarriages are both uncommon and easily worked through. As women try to navigate the horror of their babies dying within them, they are often left with little biblical counsel to draw from.
After experiencing my first miscarriage, a whole new world of suffering in the church opened up to me. Suddenly I became aware of the many women going through similar trials—whether infertility, miscarriage, or stillbirth. It seemed that no matter where I looked, women were silently dealing with terrible losses. Even today as I type these words, I have two dear friends who’ve recently lost their babies. Although few share such stories beyond a small circle, the truth is that miscarriages are shockingly common.
Having experienced this sorrow myself and grieved alongside my sisters in Christ as they’ve walked through it, I’ve become increasingly convinced that the church desperately needs a solid theological framework by which to make sense of this suffering. Women don’t need empty platitudes or frivolous advice when their babies die: they need God and his Word! When crippled by such bewildering pain, suffering couples need truth to stand upon. They need fellow believers equipped to come alongside them in their time of grief—friends who understand their sorrow and can graciously and wisely offer the hope of the gospel.[tweet “In the bewildering pain of #miscarriage, those who suffer need solid truth. #PAILRD #Oct15“]
In the end, recognizing how our suffering relates to the gospel story allows us to walk victoriously through trials. If we are to find peace and hope in the midst of grieving, we must fix our gaze upon the wonderful Savior who loves with an incomprehensible love. He is the one who will guide us through the fog of despair. †
Learn more about Jessalyn Hutto’s book, Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life when Death Visits the Womb. Also, we will post an interview with Jessalyn here on the blog this coming Monday, and the following day we will offer her book as part of our weekly 20Twosdays giveaway.
Jessalyn Hutto lives near Houston, Texas where she serves alongside her husband in his ministry as a church planter. They are blessed to have four young children. She blogs at jhutto.com/.