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Jill Duggar Dillard Suffers Pregnancy Loss, Announces Stillbirth of First Daughter

Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derrick Dillard are grieving this week after suffering a heartbreaking pregnancy loss. The couple announced Saturday the stillbirth of their daughter, Isla Marie Dillard.

Stranger Takes Photo of Family at Disney—Then He Promises He’s Not “Creepy” & Makes 1 Heartbreaking Request

"Several minutes later the same man who had just taken our picture walked up to us, in tears, and asked if we had a moment. He promised he wasn't creepy and introduced himself as Scott and his wife as Sally."

Beyond ‘Sorry for Your Loss’: 14 Meaningful Ways to Express Condolences

Explore heartfelt and unique ways to say 'sorry for your loss' with our guide. Learn how to offer condolences that truly resonate, including personalized expressions of sympathy and thoughtful gestures to support those grieving.

When God Says “Not Now”

Over twenty years ago I felt the Lord give me a vision of my future. In this vision, I saw where my husband and I would be one day. It filled me with such joy and anticipation. I wrote it in my journal, and even through the decade my husband and I spent apart, before we got married, I still held tightly to that word from the Lord. I knew in my heart it was what God had for us.

Sometimes God gives you a vision and He says “go now!” When the Lord told me at nineteen to go overseas by myself for six months, I went. Over twenty years later, when He told my husband and me to leave our home, sell our things, and travel together, we went! But other times God says, “not now.” Instead, He says, “wait.” Underneath His command of not yet is the theme of Be Still. Man, that’s hard. Once you know God has something for you, it’s hard to be still and wait for His timing.

It’s even harder when, like us, your heart desires more than anything to be a fisher of men and spread God’s love. In that case, you don’t even want to hit a 9-5. You want nothing but that Ministry. Wherever it may be. Whatever it entails. I think the hardest ministry calling is one you don’t yet know the details and cannot yet walk out. You know it’s ahead, but you can’t quite see the specifics, just a fuzzy outline. You just trust for the rest.

This morning during my quiet time the Lord reminded me and solidified within me that we were on the right path, that we were walking in His will, and that He was leading us to the next season. At that moment my youngest daughter walked sleepily out of the bedroom. As she rubbed her eyes she grinned a sweet smile my way. At that moment I felt the Lord impress this upon my heart.

“You are walking in your ministry calling right now.”

As I looked on at my precious girl I understood the things I already knew, but also needed reminding of.

Each day as a mother I worked for the Lord. I led them to Jesus and trained them up in the way they should go. Just the other day when I had gotten out of bed to go into the living room my 2-year-old had said, “don’t forget your Bible.” And the day before my 5-year-old’s first response to a problem had been to pray about it. These were small things, but they meant a lot to me. They showed me that I was doing something right if I could instill in them a love for Jesus.

Brie Gowen
Brie Gowenhttp://briegowen.com/
Brie Gowen is a 30-something (sliding ever closer to 40-something) wife and mother. When she’s not loving on her hubby, chasing after the toddler or playing princess with her four-year-old, she enjoys cooking, reading and writing down her thoughts to share with others. Brie is also a huge lover of Jesus. She finds immense joy in the peace a relationship with her Savior provides, and she might just tell you about it sometime. She’d love for you to check out her blog at BrieGowen.com.

Jill Duggar Dillard Suffers Pregnancy Loss, Announces Stillbirth of First Daughter

Jill Duggar Dillard and her husband Derrick Dillard are grieving this week after suffering a heartbreaking pregnancy loss. The couple announced Saturday the stillbirth of their daughter, Isla Marie Dillard.

Stranger Takes Photo of Family at Disney—Then He Promises He’s Not “Creepy” & Makes 1 Heartbreaking Request

"Several minutes later the same man who had just taken our picture walked up to us, in tears, and asked if we had a moment. He promised he wasn't creepy and introduced himself as Scott and his wife as Sally."

Beyond ‘Sorry for Your Loss’: 14 Meaningful Ways to Express Condolences

Explore heartfelt and unique ways to say 'sorry for your loss' with our guide. Learn how to offer condolences that truly resonate, including personalized expressions of sympathy and thoughtful gestures to support those grieving.