Answering Your Questions About God & Faith After Baby Loss | Episode 178 with Jennifer Tyler

Episode 178

This week on the podcast Jennifer Tyler joins me to answer your questions about God and faith specifically after experiencing loss and amidst grief. Jennifer is a Bible teacher and founder of SoulCircles Ministries and is passionate about helping women learn how to study the Bible, as she says “not just for information but for transformation.” I am so grateful for the wisdom and insight Jennifer offers us in this interview – as someone who has studied the Bible in an in depth way but also as a mother who has experienced loss.

We begin our time with Jennifer sharing her motherhood journey with us – a journey that began before she was a Christian, as a 17 year old with an unexpected pregnancy that ended in an abortion. She speaks honestly about this part of her story, sharing how she felt then and also how God has met her in this part of her story. Years later, Jennifer would marry and begin trying to grow her family, she shares of her early pregnancy loss and a loss after walking through ivf.

Jennifer is sharing from a place of being an invisible mother, with no living children yet – a place that can be difficult to see how God is good and is working good. Exactly one of the reasons I thought Jennifer could speak honestly about this topic of God and faith after loss and amidst grief.

One question that I ask Jennifer that feels especially helpful and a question that maybe you have asked: Is my loss a result of something I have done wrong? Did I lose my baby because God is punishing me for some former sin? Something in my past? Jennifer’s answer to this is both helpful and hopeful.

I loved this interview and am so grateful for Jennifer’s wisdom and story, her honesty and hope – make sure to listen all the way to the end when she says: “God can handle our questions. He knows what you're experiencing. He knows that you're wrestling and He can handle that. So I would encourage you to pour it out all on the table to Him.” I pray this conversation blesses you today.

QUESTIONS we discuss IN EPISODE 178

What would you say to the woman asking: “Is God powerful enough to heal my baby? Did He just choose not to?”
Why does suffering exist? What is God’s role in our suffering? Did He plan it or allow it? What does that mean for me and my baby(s)
Why does God allow us to suffer & not protect us?
What does it mean when people say, “God will use you or this for His glory”? How could the loss of a child be used for His glory?
How can I trust God now and what does that look like practically?
How would you answer the woman asking: "What did I do wrong? Is my suffering a result of something I have done wrong? Did I lose my baby because God is punishing me for some former sin?"
What does it look like to experience joy while still grieving and lamenting? What does joy mean? What does lament even mean
What spiritual resources would you recommend for a grieving mom?

Suggested Resources

Read or listen to the Psalms
We Go On: Finding Purpose in All of Life’s Sorrows and Joys
Embrace Your Life: How to Find Joy When the Life You Have is Not the Life You Hoped For, by Elizabeth Woodson
The Cost of Control, by Sharon Hodde Miller
It’s Not Supposed to Be This Way, by Lysa TerKeurst

Meet Jennifer

Jennifer Lucy Tyler is a Bible Teacher, speaker, storyteller, entrepreneur, and growth coach. She is the creator of two journals, Be Your Own Relationship Goals: Volume 1 and The Changemaker Guide to Studying the Bible. In 2016, Jennifer received a coaching certification through Lifeforming Leadership Institute. She focuses on helping women grow spiritually through online courses and bible studies. In 2018, Jennifer founded SoulCircles Ministries, an alternative ladies' night out and a virtual community centered around studying the Bible inductively, not just for information but for transformation. Jennifer is the founder of Mission Consulting Hub, a consultant hub that serves "servant-leaders" globally. She works as a National Presenter for Faithlife, the creators of Logos Bible Software, and serves as an ambassador for International Justice Mission (IJM).

Jennifer resides in Maryland and is happily married to her husband, Jeffrey Tyler. You can find more information on Jennifer Lucy Tyler on the web and on the following social media sites:

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