Room for New – New Hope

Just 3 days after Christmas, at the age of 16, my life was changed. And not in a good way. It was that day that I thought I’d hurt the most, and then it’d progressively get easier and easier. But I was wrong. It has now been nearly 9 years since then, and I have had days much harder than that one. Although that was when my mom passed away of cancer, it was years later that I felt it. It was a day here and a day there. It was when I dated my husband. It was when I got pregnant. It was when I had a newborn. It was when my daughter turned one. It’s also when I get jealous that new moms have their own moms there to help them. Sometimes the hurt feels endless. But if there’s anything I have learned, it’s that it does not stop there. I have seen God restore my hurt with redemption. I’ve seen Him use my story to encourage someone else going through the same thing.

Grief can feel as if it never really goes away. But the Truth about God is that He’ll never go away.
There may always be days that hurt. But there will always be a Father to run towards. There may always be moments of jealousy. But there will always be a Father who restores. There may always be moments of anger. But there will always be a Father who brings supernatural joy.

I used to be afraid to talk about my mom. I would bury myself in work, in tasks, in chores, in all-around busyness for the sake of not dealing with it. Until it hit me while I was dating my future husband. This was the first significant event to happen in my life, and my mom wasn’t there to see it. I tried to stuff it down, but then came depression. Then came anger. Then came anxiety. Then came suicidal thoughts.
It wasn’t until I laid down my pride, went to counseling, surrounded myself in community, and faced my emotions head-on that everything changed.

Not my way anymore, but God’s way.

The difference between now and then is that I LOVE talking about it. I love talking about grief because I have seen the fruit. I have seen God restore the areas of my life that were broken. I’ve seen Him replace what I thought were missing pieces, with His love, grace, truth, and peace. I’ve seen Him use other women in my life to not replace my mom, but pour into me in ways like a mother would.

And because of what God has shown me, I can’t keep it to myself. Because I finally created space for God to work in me, I am now at a place where I want to share my story. Because I created room for Him, He wants to do something new through me.

So that’s why I’m introducing Room for New: New Hope.

Room for New is an outlet. It’s an outlet for not only me – but others – to share what God has done through them. I have so many friends and relatives who have experienced loss of someone or something. Grief doesn’t just apply to losing a loved one. Sometimes it’s the loss of a thing – an experience, a dream, a job, an expectation.

Room for New is a way for people to know they’re not alone in their hurt. My goal is for it to be a hub of different grief stories, for ones to take in encouragement from those who have been through similar pain.

My hope is for you to find hope in the midst of your grief. And ultimately, for you to then shine that hope on others.

If you have a grief story you want to share, send me a message on the Contact page. Would love to hear from you!