Where is God in My Grief?

Have you ever asked the question, “Where is God in my grief?”

If you’ve known the pain and heartache of loss, I pray that this video interview with my friend and fellow author, Kate Motaung, will be a great blessing to you. In fact, I know it’s resonated with many readers, because it’s one of the most-viewed videos on our Facebook page. We’ve all experienced grief in one way or another. It’s a part of life in this broken world–which is why Kate’s book is a welcome companion on this hard road.

I had the privilege of reading and endorsing Kate’s memoir, A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging, and in this recorded conversation we’re chatting about her experience losing her mom to cancer.

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Kate shares in her book about how she wondered at certain times in her journey, “Where is God in my grief?”

I so appreciated Kate’s vulnerability and honesty in A Place to Land. In fact, there were times when I thought, “Did she really just write that?!”

Here’s the endorsement I wrote after reading A Place to Land:

 

 

Refreshingly honest, A Place to Land offers hope and humor on this bumpy journey called life. As a missionary kid, I always felt like I’d never quite found my place.

It took years of stumbling through cultural differences and tight cliques to finally realize that this world is not my home even as I make it my temporary residence.

I turned the last page of this book when I was myself on a plane headed to my husband and kids, clinging to the paper bag and longing for landing while also wishing to be present in the moment. “She really gets it,” I whispered to myself.

Kate understands the tension of being pulled in several directions, bearing the burden of loved ones from thousands of miles away.

A Place to Land is more than an honest memoir–it’s a hopeful narrative of a home lost and found, and a gentle reminder of our Companion all along the way.

 

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In our interview, I ask Kate, “What were some of the fears that you experienced while your mom was sick, and how did that influence your relationship with God?”

She reads an excerpt from A Place to Land in which she confesses that she doubted the grace of God. She doubted, but in the end, God proved that His grace was, in fact, sufficient:

 

“I knew the Bible said His grace was sufficient, but I had deemed myself an exception to the rule. I doubted the grace of God. Four months later, my mom died. And what I never expected, happened. God carried me.”

~ Kate Motaung, A Place to Land

 

I know I’ve gone through phases like this as well, when I’ve wondered whether God’s promises would really be true for me. If you can relate, I hope you’ll pick up a copy of Kate’s book.

 

Related Posts: 

When You Can’t Do Life On Your Own Anymore
A Prayer for When You Can’t Forget the Pain

Related Resource: Where is God When it Hurts? by Phillip Yancey

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Kate Motaung is the author of  A Place to Land: A Story of Longing and Belonging (2018), A Start-Up Guide for Online Christian Writers, and Letters to Grief.

She is the host of Five Minute Friday, an online community that encourages and equips Christian writers, and owner of Refine Services, a company that offers writing, editing, and digital marketing services. Kate blogs at Heading Home and can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.