Share Hope: Zachary’s Legacy
As God brings us through the various trials of life, He also provides us with opportunities to use our sorrow as a platform for sharing the hope of Christ. In this series, Hope Moms share the ways they have been able to share hope with others as they have walked through the grief of losing a child. How has God uniquely equipped you to use your story to share hope with others? Share your story with us HERE
In the days that followed the stillbirth of my son, I was tempted to think, “Nothing good can ever come of this.” Looking at things from a natural perspective, it wouldn’t seem like anything good could come from my sorrow, grief, and loss.
But I knew better. I knew God’s Word promised, “That for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those that are called according to His purposes” (Romans 8:28). In Genesis 50:20, Joseph knew that what his brothers meant for evil against him when they sold him into slavery, God meant for good—to save many lives. And I knew God could use my son’s death to somehow glorify Himself.
My ire arose at Satan’s attempt to “kill, steal and destroy,” and I became committed to defeating his attack even as our hopes faded of having a little boy in our home—filling it with noise, action, and all forms of rambunctious boy things. I wouldn’t let him have the victory. He wouldn’t steal my joy or hope. I wanted to redeem the loss. But how?
I didn’t know anyone else who had lost a child, so I didn’t have a support group to walk with me. I prayed that my heartache could somehow bring healing to someone else.
And then I got the phone call. The girl that cut my hair had another client who lost her baby a few weeks before it was due. She asked if I would call her. A complete stranger and I sat and talked about our loss and our hope. I tried my best to encourage her. Months later, she called to tell me she had another baby. We celebrated.
Then I got a call from my aunt. She had a friend whose granddaughter lost her baby right before it was due. To this day we’ve never met but we chatted online quite a bit, late at night. She shared things with me she said she couldn’t share with anyone else. About a year later, I saw on social media she had another baby. I messaged her and we celebrated.
Then I was asked to go to the hospital because there was a young mom in our church that was in labor with her stillborn baby. For over a year, I prayed for and with this gal as she suffered false pregnancies and miscarriages. Today, I celebrate her as a mom to a precious, adopted daughter and the little one growing in her.
Each time I encouraged another mother, it was a victory. It was God working all things. I cannot count the number of moms I’ve grieved with and tried to encourage throughout the years. Strangers, friends, and friends of friends. The God of all comfort, comforted me after my loss, and I want to help comfort others.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Several years ago, I started speaking to various groups. My message is always one of hope and God’s faithfulness, and the story of my son is part of the testimony.
By sharing my testimony of finding hope and joy in the midst of my sorrow, I long to help others know that no matter what the world or our enemy, Satan, throws at us, the Lord is faithful. He is faithful to walk beside us in the dark, difficult days. He can redeem our loss and bring life. The Lord can restore us to live life as an overcomer.
It’s amazing to me that no matter what group I speak to—young or old, men or women—there is always someone who approaches me afterwards to tell me they too suffered a loss. Some of the older women quietly speak the words—ever so briefly—as if they haven’t spoken of their loss often or at all. We share a moment of understanding, and in that moment we offer each other hope.
Dear Hope Mommy, wherever you are in your grief journey, I encourage you to seek ways to encourage others who are coming up behind you on the road of loss. They are looking ahead, and yearning for you to lead them. The grief road is long and hard. It is full of twists, turns, and obstacles. You can lend a hand to the moms coming behind you to steady them as they encounter the roadblocks of grief.
Picture a path in the woods that has a large, fallen tree blocking the path. Picture the mom recently suffering loss wanting to sit down and stop because she is unsure how she can continue. You have the opportunity to give her a hand and help her over the log and out of the dark woods.
You may be thinking you aren’t equipped or capable to encourage another Hope Mommy. But you have been where they are. We don’t have to have all of the answers. We just need to let the bewildered, hurting, hopeless mamas know that you know where she is and where she has been. And then, through Christ, you can lead her to a new place.
- Shelly
Hope Mom to Zachary Robert
Shelly D. Templin is an author, speaker and blogger that shares a message of hope—with humor. She has three daughters, a son-in- law, and a granddaughter. Shelly lives in Texas with her husband, Jack, of 29 years and their two dogs.
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