Inheritance of Tears – A Review

Jessalyn Hutto. Inheritance of Tears: Trusting the Lord of Life When Death Visits the Womb. Adelphi, MD: Cruciform Press, 2015. 108 pp. $9.99.

            The loss of a child through miscarriage is a tragic and deeply emotional event in the lives of parents. Those who have experienced such sorrow often struggle to know how to think it through biblically. Those who have not been visited with such heartbreak often struggle to know what to say or how to help someone who has.

            It is a blessing to the church that Jessalyn Hutto chose to pen Inheritance of Tears. This short, clear, and helpful book offers God-honoring and timeless counsel for those who are walking through the valley of the shadow of the loss of an unborn child. Hutto is a woman who has experienced miscarriage in her life and who has a beautiful grasp of the character, sovereignty, and glory of God. She has found a great way to counsel others from the word of God with a heart of genuine understanding and compassion.

            This book has multiple strengths. Hutto writes with a wonderfully biblical worldview. While she does not pretend to understand all of the reasons why God might have allowed sorrow to enter the life of a family, she continually focuses her readers on the things we do know: God is good, God is glorious, and God has not left us or failed us. She demonstrates from biblical and personal examples how believers have had to walk through great hardships in the past, and how God has never forsaken his own.

            One great strength of the book is its final chapter. Hutton writes a very simple, biblical, and clear defense of the understanding that the unborn who are lost to miscarriage are souls who are rescued by Christ and whom we will meet at the resurrection. Her argument is not one that I had not heard before. However, her presentation is wonderfully simple, sweet, and to the point.

            I would recommend this book without reservation to any believers who are struggling with the issue of the loss of a child, especially through miscarriage. I would also recommend this book to pastors, church elders, and teachers who know of others who have walked down this difficult path. We can all learn from Jessalyn Hutto to better help others who are facing tragic circumstances, whether we have ever faced them ourselves or not.