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
287 | Five Gifts for Broken Hearts
“The first Christmas came with gifts meant for broken hearts.”
Christmas is often one of the hardest seasons for parents grieving the loss of a child. Today, I reprise a solo episode originally recorded in 2020 during the height of the COVID pandemic which speaks into a time marked by isolation, uncertainty, and compounded grief. Separated from loved ones, surrounded by illness and fear, many bereaved parents were carrying more than ever before.
In this episode, I reflect on the Christmas story through the lens of Isaiah 9:6, focusing not on the gifts we exchange, but on the gifts given at the very moment Jesus was born.
In this episode, I discuss:
- The gift of our Wonderful Counselor, when no human words are enough
- The gift of our Mighty God, whose strength carries us in our weakness
- The gift of our Everlasting Father, steady and committed now and forever
- The gift of our Prince of Peace, offering peace with God amid chaos and sorrow
- The gift of Immanuel—God with us, near to the brokenhearted and crushed in spirit
Through Scripture, personal reflection, and gentle encouragement, this episode reminds grieving parents that they are not alone—especially when traditions feel altered, expectations feel heavy, and the future feels uncertain.
A reminder for this season
When Christmas feels overwhelming…
When your heart aches for what used to be…
When your child’s name goes unspoken…
When a new year feels impossible to imagine…
God is with us.
That is the gift of Immanuel.
** 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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Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org
