Grief for God's Glory- Sam and Nia's Viral Video

If you're reading this in 2015, you've likely already seen the Youtube video where a husband (Sam) surprises his wife (Nia) with a positive pregnancy test. The internet loved it- everyone loved it- and it was shared and praised all over Facebook, nationwide news channels and anywhere else you looked.

They post daily vlogs online (similar to blogging, but video and in their case, daily). They were doing this recreationally in addition to working, and suddenly, due tho an unorthodox pregnancy announcement, their channel had millions of viewers.

Then the next day she miscarried.

The whole world did at least one of three things.
1. They ignored it (because it is awkward, confusing and/or sad).
2. Said things like 'why do people share everything on the Internet' and shamed them.
3. Accused them of staging the entire thing (saying that they knew it would go viral and boost their viewership).

And, while I can understand reason #1 and the reasons for ignoring the miscarriage (it's awkward. sad, or just confusing to many people)- I can't stand hearing people say reason #2, a day after they themselves likely shared the hot new video on their own Facebook page. Hearing that you weren't allowed to tell others in the off chance that you might make life a little to real or uncomfortable (for them) has always been a big pet peeve of mine.

And #3 is ridiculous. It's impossible to know when anything you do online will be praised, ridiculed or shared over a million times. Try as I might (and did), HuffPost chose not to accept the article I linked just above. The internet is tricky, and there is a lot of competition out there. And (I'm 100% sure) that anyone who has lost a baby can attest, that hearing her description of actually loosing the baby is spot on. That is something you only learn that when you have truly lost a pregnancy.

Listening to Nia weep for her new understanding of all those who've miscarried with her, explaining the (very literal) physical and emotional relief that sweeps over you when you birth a baby and the feeling of gratitude for the beating heart in her eldest- it slaps modern culture in the face.

In a world where a wanted pregnancy is praised and an unwanted one is discarded...
the mourning of a early pregnancy miscarriage where a heartbeat is lost, that is something that is not even acknowledged or shared. To expect it to be acknowledged as a real event that took place, and offered support and respect is not something offered to those who loose a baby*.

*Except in late pregnancy loss, when the baby is more likely to be accepted for the baby it is, versus medical tissue.

These vloggers have encouraged me, and others as you can see throughout the comments.
They later mention that they feel blessed to have so many new viewers offering comforting words, and know that while the Lord has taken their baby to Heaven he has blessed in another unexpected area. And, I assume, that is where #3 happened, and the conspiracy theorists decided to shame their efforts to be transparent and honest.

I do not nearly have the reach these two do, but the comments I receive when I wrote about my miscarriages, aftermath of dealing with them, and now my pregnancy announcements have meant the world to me. To imagine, while half of their comments are attempting to tear them down, the other half needed are offering prayers and support. The same local television and news sources that told the story of Sam and Nia's pregnancy announcement told a followup story sharing the sad news. But- no one is sharing that or making go viral. It's all but been ignored, outside of the Youtube comments beneath their videos.

But then...Two days later...
Sam tells all their new viewers that while he understands that not all that are watching are believers of Christ, he knows that they need Him. It is short, and of course started an uproar in the comments below- but they did something amazing with the platform that they didn't have even a week prior.



To God be the Glory- in all circumstances.


So tell me...
Have you seen the videos above?
Did you (honestly) feel any of the reactions in #1, #2, or #3?
Were you as thrilled to see the call to Christ as I was?
------I've not seen that until today on a flourishing Youtube channel.




                 
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