Grief 06: Grief in Adoption—An Interview with Jen Oshman
When God allows adoption to be a part of our family’s story, there can be hopeful anticipation alongside waiting and sorrow. How can we hold the beauty and hardship of it with grace? In this episode, Emily and Laura chat with author and adoptive mom Jen Oshman on her own experience with adoption, and the tension that parents hold when bringing a child out of his or her birth family and into their own. Jen also shares a word of encouragement to adoptive moms, as well as what to consider before pursuing adoption. As we seek to love our children well in the midst of hard circumstances, we can trust that our God whose heart is for the fatherless (Ps. 68:5) supplies our every need.
Jen Oshman has been in women’s ministry for over two decades as a missionary and pastor’s wife on three continents. She’s the mother of four daughters, the author of Enough About Me and Cultural Counterfeits, and the host of All Things, a podcast about cultural events and trends. Her family currently resides in Colorado, where they planted Redemption Parker.
Mentioned on the Show:
Enough About Me by Jen Oshman
Cultural Counterfeits by Jen Oshman
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Risen Motherhood x Every Moment Holy:
Liturgies for Grieving Moms
We’ve partnered with our friends at Every Moment Holy to create an exclusive download filled with liturgies for different types of grief we experience as moms. This download is completely free when you sign up for the Risen Motherhood email list—fill out the form below to get this free download straight to your inbox!
R|M Apply Questions:
Are you in a season of waiting right now? Maybe you’re in the adoption process, or are walking through a life season where the next steps feel unclear or out of reach. What does it look like for you to trust God as you wait, even if what you’re waiting on never comes to pass? Consider sharing about this with a trusted friend, mentor, or church community group.
Read Hebrews 12:1-2. Throughout this series, a common thread has been the importance of finding your ‘cloud of witnesses’ (v. 1). How can you begin praying for and building godly community in your life that can point you to Christ in difficult seasons? If you already have this, take a few moments to give thanks and pray for those people.
Jen shares that in adoption, there can be a temptation to believe that we can save our children. Regardless of your family’s story, can you describe a time when you were tempted to be your child’s savior? Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to help you to trust him with your child’s future.
Whether an adoptive mom or not, we all struggle with the picturesque visions of motherhood our culture holds up on social media, in marketing, and elsewhere. What does it look like to cling to the cross, find your identity in Christ, and pursue God’s purpose for motherhood? Spend some time discussing this with a mom friend, and consider ways you can encourage one another on hard days.
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