Living Hope: 2023 Retreat

The pain of losing a baby is very real and can make us feel so alone, but no tear or prayer has gone unnoticed by God. In our brokenness, we need to be reminded that we have a Father who cares deeply for us, His daughters, and that we have a Savior who rescues us from death and gives us hope for a future beyond this broken world. But along with hope for tomorrow, we also need hope for today, and our God is a God who does this! I’ve seen Him do it in great measure in my own life, and in the lives of women cared for and loved by Hope Mommies.  

Do you need to be reminded of this hope that is yours in Christ? Will you consider joining us at the annual Hope Mommies Retreat this spring? It’s a place for walls to fall down, and where others will lend hopeful hands to help you rebuild in the name of Jesus. Our theme is Living Hope, taken from 1 Peter. My team and I prayed long and hard over what Scripture to build this Retreat around and we are excited to bring this one to you. 

LIVING HOPE Born Again to a Living Hope

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 1 Peter 1:3-9

Here in the first chapter of 1 Peter, the apostle reminds us of our living hope. He doesn’t leave us guessing about what we’re hoping for. Through the resurrection of Christ, we have gained rebirth and a salvation ready to be revealed, as well as an imperishable, undefiled, unfading inheritance. But in grief, these promises can look a little fuzzy around the edges and feel far off. 

Yes, Christ has saved us, and He is changing us even now, but so much of our hope is in what’s been stored up for us in the future, or as Peter puts it, what’s being kept in heaven for us. Are you wondering how you can access this living hope now that your dreams of motherhood have been shattered? Are you thinking this is good news, but it feels really hard in light of your baby’s death? If so, you aren’t alone. 

Ours is a living and active hope, in a living and active God, who has unfathomable blessings in store for us. And yet, there are days (lots of them) after our babies die when our living hope seems to be doing little more than gathering dust on a shelf. It’s glaringly apparent that this world is not our home and heaven feels so far away. We are exiles here in this land broken by sin and overflowing with suffering. We ache and groan for more.

I wanted so much more than what I received. I wanted to be delivering my baby at 40 weeks, not 22. I wanted to hear her cry, but the delivery room was silent. I wanted her to sleep in the bassinet beside my bed, the one that used to be her brother’s, and instead I placed her in a casket in the ground, in the cemetery across town. I wanted more. More seconds, more minutes, more hours with her. I know you wanted more, too. 

When I didn’t get the more that I thought I deserved when my baby died, my heart softened and my gaze shifted to God, and I knew He was my more. In case you don’t know it yet, let me tell you, or remind you, that He’s your more, too.  

Those of us who call ourselves Hope Moms, the grieving, heartbroken, and weary sojourners, can be well-served by remembering God’s sovereignty, communing with Him through Bible reading and prayer, having a heart and mind fixed on heaven, and claiming the hope of resurrection of the dead. 

When we center our lives on this living hope, even in the depths of grieving, we will be equipped to endure the death of our babies in such a way that we can emerge from it with a clearer sense of who God is and how He works in the world, and when we do, we get more, so much more. More of Him. More peace. More rest. More hope.    

The gap between this present moment and our future glory seems impossibly long, I know. My heart aches with you in how long it feels. But the Bible tells us it’s only a little while. So, we must choose to rejoice in knowing that because we have a hope kept in heaven that can never be destroyed, one day soon, we will trade in our suffering for the many gifts God has tucked away for us in heaven. Jesus Christ is, surely, our living hope! 

Will you join us?  Learn more.

When:  March 31 – April 2, 2023

Where:  Tejas, 1038 Pvt Rd 2191, Giddings, TX 78942

Cost:  $340.00 

Keynote Speaker:  Kristin Hernandez

Worship:  Katie Cobbs

Questions:  retreats@hopemommies.org

REGISTER NOW!

Jennie is the Executive Director for Hope Mommies. She and her husband Brian live in Washington State and have four children together— Trenton (15), Paige who has been in Heaven with Jesus since 2010, Mason (10), and Cora who is (4). If you were to knock on her front door today, you’d find her in something comfortable drinking a hot cup of tea, while trying to figure out how to balance all the things that make up a life. She enjoys spending time in God’s word, fresh flowers, board games with her kids, cooking, and evening walks in her neighborhood. She adores being a new creation in Christ and prays she reflects Him well on this earth.

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