Joy-Anna Duggar lost her baby girl when she was just 20 weeks along in her pregnancy last July. It has been an emotional ride for her and husband, Austin Forsyth, as expected. Life has gone on for the Counting On stars, but they, of course, still have their moments of sadness which Joy shares on social media. She just recently shared a gift that she received that seems to be dear to her heart.
The Duggar daughter posted a photo via Instagram that may seem a bit odd for some people, but for Christians such as Joy-Anna and her family, it appears to be just a part of their faith. The picture that she was gifted looks like it may have been hand-drawn and is a replica of a snapshot that was taken of Joy, Austin, and their son, Gideon. The 22-year-old mom had posted the original photo back in December as they are seen standing in front of their new home that they just moved into. That same pic was duplicated in the drawing that also included Jesus holding a baby.
That baby is supposed to be their little girl, Annabelle Elise, that they lost last year. The meaning behind this picture is that their second-born is “in the arms of Jesus,” as Joy-Anna said in her caption.
Another twist in the photo is that Joy-Anna is reaching out and holding the hand of Jesus as well. She has made plenty of references since her miscarriage on how her faith and prayers have gotten her through. It stands to reason that this is the meaning of the hand holding.
Lauren Duggar, who also had a miscarriage, called the picture “beautiful.” In addition, sister Jill Dillard and sister-in-law Anna Duggar both took to the comments section to express their love for the gift.
Many of Joy’s followers, who had also experienced losses of their own babies, mentioned how touched they were by the pic and thanked her for the reminder of the Jesus reference.
“This is definitely one of the most beautiful and touching things I have seen,” one of her followers said.
When asked where she got the picture from, Joy said that a friend had given it to her as a gift. Many of her Instagram followers wanted to know who the artist was.
TLC’s Counting On is in between seasons right now, but last season was all about babies. There were five pregnancies at once and Joy-Anna Duggar was one of them. She was involved in the pregnancy photo shoot , but shortly after, she lost the baby. The miscarriage wasn’t talked about at all during the episodes, but the new season may have the details on that sad day.