In this episode of the Held Podcast, I chatted with Irene Sun about help and service in the wake of pregnancy loss. We talked about everything from why it is sometimes difficult to ask for or receive help, to what we should do when the attempts of others to help actually end up hurting us, to where we can go when we feel like no one is offering to help us. Whether you’re wrestling with pride, acutely feeling your need, or experiencing disappointment over the lack of help from your family and community, I pray that Irene’s vulnerable reflections and biblical insights will be a help and a comfort to you.

About Irene Sun:

Irene Sun was born in Malaysia but has lived all over the world. She is the author of the picture book God Counts: Numbers in His World and His World. She studied liturgy and literature at Yale University (M.A.R.) and the Old Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School (Th.M.). She now teaches her four boys at home with her husband Hans, is the pastor of a Chinese Church in the Pittsburgh area.

Questions in this Episode:

Would you start off by just telling us a bit about your own experience with miscarriage?

What are some of the ways that people cared for you in the wake of your loss that were really helpful and meaningful?

 What do you think some reasons might be that people refuse to ask for help or decline it when it is offered after pregnancy loss or suffering in general?

What word does the bible have for women struggling to allow others to help them?

Are there good/ non-sinful reasons to refuse help?

Maybe we’re overwhelmed by general offers of help like “let me know if you need anything” and even though we are overwhelmed and hurting, we don’t know how to respond specifically. What help/ suggestion would you offer here?

Sometimes helping hurts. Maybe we feel violated or offended by the way someone helps us. How does God’s word and the Bible offer comfort and help when this happens?

Maybe someone listening doesn’t feel like anyone has offered to help or maybe feels disappointed by her husband, her family, or her church or community’s response to her loss. What encouragement would you offer her?

Questions for every guest:

What’s one way God has used your experience of miscarriage to work in your heart and life?

If you could encourage a woman to meditate on or memorize any verse or short set of verses in this season, what would it be and why?

Scripture References:

Psalm 73

2 Corinthians 1:3-5

Psalm 139

Psalm 84

Intro/ Outro Music:

My Soul Will Wait (Psalm 62) [feat. Stacy Lantz], Hilton Head Presbyterian Church

“Held” Book Purchasing Info:

purchasing link  (discount code: heldpodcast10 )

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