Send us Fan Mail Season 2 is here, and I'm kicking it off with my friend Laura Snedeker, a mom of two (with her third on the way), a photographer, and someone whose writing I've admired on Facebook for years before I ever got the guts to ask her to sit down with me. We talk about a lot in this one. Laura's move out of a stagnant season and into a faith that's actually hers, not just handed down from a pastor or a parent. What it's looked like to grieve two miscarriages and then, more recently, the loss of her dad. And a moment in a hotel lobby on a mission trip where a youth pastor told me something I haven't stopped thinking about since, that the enemy wants us to believe our grief is so unique, so different from everyone else's, that we end up isolated in it. That's really the heart of this episode. Whether it's a miscarriage, a hard childhood, a sleepless newborn, or losing someone you love, the enemy's favorite trick is convincing you that nobody else could possibly understand. But we are one body. Colossians 1:15 says Jesus is the firstborn over all creation, which means He's not just our Savior, He's our brother too. He wept for Lazarus before He ever raised him. He grieves with us. Laura also gets real about mothering through fear, letting go of the all-or-nothing pressure around quiet time, and why she'll never again tell a grieving friend how lucky she was that her own situation turned out easier. Spoiler, that's not as encouraging as people think it is. A few things we referenced if you want to go deeper: Grace Like Scarlett by Adriel Booker, on grief and going under the wave instead of just trying to stay afloat. Psalm 27, especially verse 13, on forcing yourself to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Lamentations 3, both the "his mercies are new every morning" verses and verse 31, "for no one is abandoned by the Lord forever." Job, as proof that deep grief and unanswered questions have never been a sign of weak faith. If you've ever felt like your grief, your struggle, or your mess disqualifies you from being understood, this episode is for you. You are not alone, and your amen doesn't have to be pristine to count. Grab the Messy Amen merch, including the "you're not alone" shirt, at amessyamenpod.com. Find us on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, and listen on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Pocket Casts. If this episode meets you where you're at, leave a review or send it to a friend who needs it this week.
