Meeting God in His Creation
One of the things I loved about traveling in the Hope Mobile is how often God would meet me through His creation.
One time, while parked in a valley surrounded by mountains near San Diego, I enjoyed taking morning walks. Every path I took seemed to climb one of those mountains. The first was a small hill that gave me a nice view from the top. The next day, I climbed a higher one and was surprised at how far I’d gone until I reached the top and looked out over the beauty below.
As I stood there, surrounded by God’s majesty, I thought, “Lord, if You created all of this, You can take care of me.”
It was one of those sacred moments when creation draws you into the heart of the Creator. I found myself worshiping and handing over the heaviness in my heart before heading back down the mountain.
Finding Hope Through God’s Majestic Reminders
That same sense of awe often fills me when I stand at the ocean’s edge and watch the waves. The vastness of the sea reminds me of God’s love that is deep, unending, and powerful.
And even looking up at a sky full of stars reminds me that the same God who made all of this is able to hold me through life’s storms.
When we take time to notice God’s creation, even in small ways, we can be reminded that the One who made the mountains and oceans is also the One holding us right now. You might not feel it. You might not see it. But He has you in His hands, and He’s not letting go.
Hope Like a River
Another place that spoke to me deeply was a river we camped near during our travels. As I walked a path that followed the river, sometimes it would wind through the trees and I couldn’t see the water at all. There were times I could still hear it, and times I couldn’t. Then suddenly it would reappear, flowing beside me.
That path reminded me so much of hope.
After losing a child, hope can feel like that river, sometimes hidden, sometimes only glimpsed for a moment. Then, through a small act of kindness, a memory, or a whisper from God, we see it again. Hope is always there, even when we can’t see it, because Jesus, the Seed of Hope, lives inside of us. These are the moments that help us keep walking, one step at a time through our grief, with His strength.
Like a seed pushing through dark soil, hope takes time to grow. You may not see it yet, but it’s alive, because He is alive in you.
Seeing How Far You’ve Come in Grief
Back to those mountains I talked about, there was one morning I took a different trail that ended up climbing yet another mountain. This trail seemed to go on forever, and I started getting really tired, hoping it might connect with a shorter route back. I kept going, and when I reached the top, I was shocked to look way down below and see the top of the mountain that I had previously been on. I had no idea how far I had come until seeing where I had been before.
That moment reminded me of our grief journey. Sometimes we move slowly, one step, even one breath at a time. But as we keep walking, there comes a day when we look back and realize that we’re doing better than we ever thought we could.
If you’re tired, it’s okay to stop and rest. But don’t give up. Keep walking. Because one day you’ll be able to see the view from where you are and realize how far you’ve climbed.
A Song Inspired by the Journey
Some of the things I talked about here inspired me to write the song, I Keep Walking, which is all about trusting that God is still near, even when we can’t see or feel Him, and believing that each small step forward matters.
Even when we can’t hear the water or see the sun, He is still there. And so is hope.
Keep Walking One Step at a Time
Maybe all you can do right now is breathe. That’s okay. Maybe all you can do is take one tiny step. That’s okay too.
NOTE: This was partially taken from the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast episode 318. Click here to listen to the full discussion, or look for the Grieving Parents Sharing Hope podcast on your favorite listening app.
🎵 Listen to the Song that Inspired This Message:
You can listen to a sample of my song “I Keep Walking,” here or you can find the full song on most music platforms.
My prayer is that as you listen, you’ll feel God’s gentle reminder that you are not alone and that hope is still alive inside you, even when you can’t see it yet.
AWARD WINNING AUTHOR, LAURA DIEHL, has written several impactful books that provide comfort and guidance to those navigating the painful journey of child loss, after the death of her own daughter in 2011. Her most acclaimed work, When Tragedy Strikes: Rebuilding Your Life with Hope and Healing After the Death of Your Child, has received multiple accolades, including the 2017 Gold Medal Centauri Christian Book Award for Non-Fiction and a Silver Medal in the 2018 Illumination Awards. Several of her other books have won awards as well.
In addition to her writing, Laura is an ordained minister and has an extensive background in international children’s ministry. She is a sought-after speaker and singer at grief conferences and churches, known for her compassionate approach and deep understanding of the grieving process, especially the unique loss of a child. Through her weekly award-winning podcast, her writings, and other resources provided by GPS Hope, Laura and her husband, Dave, continue to provide hope and healing to thousands of parents worldwide, helping them find light in the midst of profound loss and darkness.
For more information about Laura’s award-winning books go to gpshope.org/books.
To find out more about Laura Diehl and the ministry of Grieving Parents Sharing Hope (GPS Hope) visit gpshope.org.
The link to Hope for the Future is an affiliate link, allowing part of the purchase price to go to GPS Hope.
To have Laura come and minister at your event, contact us at office@gpshope.org.
One of the most important things I want you to hear is this; release yourself from other people’s expectations. Some may think that after a year you should be “getting better,” but grief doesn’t follow a timeline.
Some bereaved parents want to be alone on this day. Others gather with friends or family. Some spend it crying, while others feel numb. Some find ways to celebrate their child’s life. However your grief shows up, it’s okay.
When Becca’s one-year mark came, some of my family wanted to gather and celebrate her life, while others didn’t. I was torn, and honestly, I don’t even remember what we ended up doing that year. And that’s okay.
A Loss That Changed Everything
When our child dies, life is forever divided into a “before” and an “after.” That kind of loss is something no parent ever expects or prepares for. In a recent conversation with Mick Weinhold, he shared the story of how the heartbreaking loss of his firstborn son, Luke, became the turning point that changed not just his life, but his eternity — a deeply personal Father’s Story of Losing a Child.
But what makes Mick’s story so powerful is what happened after. He and his wife had grown up knowing about God, but had wanted nothing to do with Him. Rules and expectations without relationship had only pushed them further away. Yet in the raw pain of losing their first child, they found themselves crying out to God, not because they had it all figured out, but because they had nowhere else to turn. As Mick put it, “We felt like we had a Luke-shaped hole in our hearts. But what God showed us was that it was really a God-shaped hole.”
Mick was honest about the struggle. There was anger, confusion, and the hard questions we all wrestle with after losing a child: “If God is good, why didn’t He stop this?” Yet even in his anger, God met him. Mick shared how he once cried out bitterly about the unfairness of friends having a baby being born on Luke’s due date, and in that moment, he heard God speak: “You were supposed to pray for them.” It was a reminder that even in grief, God is present, guiding, and working in ways beyond our understanding.
For grieving parents, these blessings don’t make the loss go away. The hole our child leaves is real. But God can meet us in that place. He doesn’t replace our child, but He can bring us wholeness within the shatteredness. We can be complete in Him, even while still deeply missing our child.
Mick’s story is one of grace and redemption. His firstborn son, Luke, was a full-term stillbirth. As a result of Luke’s death, everything changed for Mick and his wife, as their child’s death was the turning point where they both began a relationship with Jesus. Eighteen months after Luke’s death, Mick and his wife welcomed their first living child into their family. They were al so blessed to have identical twin boys, 7 years after Luke’s death and birth. 
