1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt
Finding God in the Valley
Pain. Deep, deep pain. We all experience pain on many different levels. The pain of losing a child is crippling, and the truth is that most are adding this immense pain to the previous trials, failures, hurts, and wounds we had before we ever lost a child.
We experience many types of hurt. Some of us had poor childhoods, not knowing the true love of a parent. Some of us have experienced abuse in different forms. We've experienced heartache and sorrow. We have insecurities. We live in a broken world with broken hearts. Losing a child can add on so many emotions to the already fragile ones we have.
Before I knew I would have to say goodbye—for ...
In the Word, The Lord, My Shepherd
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at different names of God found in Scripture, and how these different aspects of who He is offer us hope in the midst of our grief. As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He...
Guarding our Minds in Grief
Before experiencing loss, I had a general understanding that Satan has a level of control over the world today. Yet, I often lived flippantly, as if the effects of this invisible war waging above had me out of reach. I failed to accept the full reality of this spiritual battle enough to seek my own preparation before it became my spiritual battle. I constantly allowed my fear to reign and sought out my own short-term resolutions until illness, pain, suffering, the obvious presence of sin, and death completely shattered that false reality. Evil’s reign in this current day suddenly became extremely personal and offensive, like Satan brought his ...
The Race Set Before Us
After our daughter died, I started running. I wasn't really a runner before. Yeah, I ran some to try to stay in shape, but that was it. But after Ryan died, running became my outlet. It was a way to let out the energy that built up inside of me as I grieved, as I longed to hold my daughter in my arms. It was my time to remember her, and it turned into time with God. Before leaving the hospital after Ryan was born, my husband and I had committed to running our first half marathon together.
We left the hospital Thanksgiving day. Since we were in Germany, that afternoon at home was the first chance I got to speak to my family. I told my brother about ...
Longing for Heaven, Longing for the Lord
As a mother with a child in Heaven, what is the first thing you picture yourself doing when you get there? Me, with my sinful, broken heart? I see myself scooping up my baby boy, holding him so tight, and covering him with kisses. Every time I think of heaven, Hank is the first thing that comes to my mind. That's me—so weak in my sinful ways. So weak in my broken-heartedness that I long not for my Lord and Savior, but for my boy.
When my firstborn, Hank, passed away at only two days old, it brought me to my knees in pain. It brought me to my knees begging for some small relief for my aching heart. I needed Jesus like I never had before. I ...
How God Equips Us for the Battles We Face in Grief
The days and weeks that followed the loss of my precious baby were filled with a battlefield of emotions and temptations. After becoming so intimately familiar with the frailty of life, I found myself fearful over the well-being of my husband and living children. I was nervous when they were away from me—what if something happened to them while I wasn’t nearby to keep them safe? I was anxious when we left the comfort and safety of our home. There were so many more things that I could not control out there.
Most days, joy seemed illusive. Even so, when I would experience even the faintest glimmer of pleasure or happiness, it felt like a ...
In the Word: The Lord, My Provider
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at different names of God found in Scripture, and how these different aspects of who He is offer us hope in the midst of our grief. As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!
“And my God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:19
READ:
When my daughter died, I ...
Strength in the Sorrow: Psalm 37:23-24
God's Word is sufficient for our every need, even those that follow the heartbreaking loss of a child. In this series, Hope Moms share about the way God, through His life-giving Word, has provided them with the strength, comfort, encouragement, and hope they needed as they walk through the valley of loss and grief."My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word!" Psalm 119:28
“The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in Him; though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand.” Psalms 37:23-24
Anger coursed through me as I paced back and forth ...
Strength Doesn’t Begin with Me
In those early days of grief, there were always three little sets of eyes on me, observing the path their momma was choosing through the sorrow. My living children weren’t quite old enough to comprehend the loss that our family had endured. Death was a concept that their then two, three, and four-year-old minds did not fully understand. All they knew was that the baby in mommy’s tummy was somehow no longer there and now everybody felt sad.
I wanted my children to see me grieve well, but I didn’t know how to accomplish that. What did it look like to grieve deeply—in such a way that would validate the tremendous value of the life ...
