Hope, Hurt, and Healing: Experiencing Jesus in the Wake of Suicide

In her early 20’s, Catherine Renfro received a phone call no one should have. In broken hopelessness, her brother, Barrett, called out with despair before taking his own life. She and her father would rush over to his home only to find out that he was no longer with them.

Catherine went through a season of grief that hundreds of thousands of people endure every year in America. But even in the midst of anger, suffering, and guilt, she would say that Christ never left her.

In Hope, Hurt, and Healing, Catherine Renfro addresses the reality of loss, the feeling of brokenness, the guilt of living on while also pointing to the hope of the gospel, the peace of relying on Christ, and the trusting in God even during the broken seasons. She offers a real look at suicide loss, but she does not simply live in the despair. Instead, she uses her own life to point people to Christ and lean on his goodness to discover hope for the present and healing for the future.