How do you prepare yourself for loss? What do you do in the days before your world encounters a seismic shift? Can you ever truly be ready to face your greatest pain?
For Melissa Swain, nothing could fully prepare her for the unexpected loss of her husband, Chris, in 2021 but in the days long before such a tragic grief, she had made the decision to trust God no matter what. Just a few years before in 2019, her family faced the unexpected death of her brother, Aaron. In a way, the Lord used that difficult time to prepare her heart for more grief she would walk through as a widow. As Melissa wrestled through the pain of losing her sibling and then her husband, she was faced with more unexpected circumstances when the fate of her husband's almost finished manuscript laid in the hands of his publisher. Was she the one to take his work and bring it across the finish line? She did and the book they completed unexpectedly together called "Write it On Their Hearts: Practical Help for Discipling Your Kids" was not only a way to keep her connected to Chris after his death, but it also served as a means for him to continue to love and parent his children in the days that followed while helping other families as well.
In this candid conversation, Davey talks with Melissa about what it looks like to grieve well, why our pre-decisions about God are so important when it comes to preparing us for pain, and how to wait on God when you aren't sure what is next.
If you've ever wondered how you could prepare your heart for the suffering that inevitably comes this side of heaven, Melissa's hard-won wisdom will encourage you to decide who you think God is before you ever get that phone call that changes everything.
Website: www.WriteItOnTheirHearts.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/WITHtheSwains
Twitter: www.twitter.com/WITHtheSwains
Book: Write It On Their Hearts: Practical Help for Discipling Your Kids
We want to partner with you this holiday season and help you give the gift of healing. From now through December 9th, you can get a discount on any of the products in our store: www.nothingiswasted.com/store
Just use the promo codes:
HEALING5 ($5 off $25)
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Want to find everything Nothing is Wasted offers for your specific pain point? Check out our Curated Pathways: www.nothingiswasted.com/pathways
Episode 264 - The Cost of Control in Ministry, Leadership and Marriage with Ike and Sharon Hodde Miller
Episode 263 - Breath as Prayer with Jenn Tucker
Episode 262 - Surrendering Your Plans For God’s Plans with Marcy Gregg
Episode 261 - Good Boundaries and Goodbyes with Lysa TerKeurst
Episode 261 - Good Boundaries and Goodbyes with Lysa TerKeurst
Episode 260 - Discovering God’s Faithfulness in our Knotted-Up Lives with Beth Moore
Episode 259 - Learning to Remember While Thinking Forward After Loss with Jonathan Pitts
Episode 258 - Finding God’s Freedom from Trauma with Dr. Elizabeth Stevens
Episode 257 - Embracing the Messy and Complicated Journey of Adoption and Fostering with Jillana Goble
Episode 256 - Parenting Our Kids through Trauma and Everyday Challenges with David Thomas
Episode 255 - The Importance of Engaging Your Story and Trauma with Adam Young
Episode 254 - When the Darkness of Postpartum Depression Doesn’t Lift with Julie Thomas
Episode 253 - Special Release: Vision and Purpose in Your Pain with Davey Blackburn
Episode 252 - Parenting Your Wayward Adult Kids with Joy with Mary DeMuth
Episode 250 - Walking through Past Trauma in Marriage with Quinton and Tameca Graham
Episode 249 - Cultivating an Unoffendable Heart in Ministry with Joanna Weaver
Episode 248 - Understanding Our Stories in the Shadow of Pain with Joan Kelley
Episode 247 - Hope and Healing after Post-Traumatic Stress with Fernando Arroyo
Episode 246 - Special Release: Trial Update Part 2 with Davey Blackburn
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