EP. 96: Growing Through Grief (with Karen Booker Schelhaas)

Have you ever lost someone? Maybe you’ve grown distant from a friend you enjoyed a great connection with. Or someone you loved dearly is no longer in your life. Karen Booker Schelhaas faces life without her husband every day, but in this episode of God Hears Her, she shares how God has shown up in the midst of her intangible grief. Hosts Elisa Morgan and Eryn Eddy talk with Karen about life after becoming a widow, and how we can grow through grief. 

About Our Guest:

Karen Booker Schelhaas lives near Denver, CO, and is a full-time mother to her five children, two of whom were adopted from Ethiopia in 2008. Widowed in 2019 from the love of her life, but anchored in her faith, Karen has passion for serving the grieving at her church and in her community, traveling, writing, empowering younger women, cooking for others, and being active in the great Colorado outdoors. She is also a Wheaton College graduate and published author.

Notes and Quotes: 

• The life I had really shattered. There weren’t pieces I could glue together. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• I started screaming, and God whispered, “I can take it, keep it coming.” — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• Lament can become a form of worship because it speaks to a relationship. I don’t have to clean it up for God. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• We cannot live outside of community, and that’s especially true of the grief process. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• Defiant hope. I don’t get to choose where I’ve been planted, but I can choose whether or not to let God help me bloom. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• I’ve been very honest about my grief which has given my children permission to be honest with their grief. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• Grief is holy ground. There aren’t rules to grief. No timeline. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• Even in the greatest pain and heartache, God shows up, and if we keep our eyes open, we can see Him at work. — Karen Booker Schelhaas
• Be patient. Give lots of grace. Realize people are doing the best they can with what they’ve been handed. — Karen Booker Schelhaas

Links: 

• God Hears Her website: https://www.godhearsher.org/
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• Elisa’s Instagram: elisa morgan author
• Eryn’s Instagram: eryneddy