1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt

The Gift of Deeper Community

I’ve received many gifts as a result of my suffering, but I can attest that the deeper community I’ve experienced because of it is high on the list. As a reminder, I read my original story of losing Anna posted by Hope Mommies in 2018. One of the highlights even then was how the church around me truly changed me and ushered me into a new world of deeper community. A community who carried me through my grief, learned what biblical joy and lament truly means, and provided practically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually for me for years. Because of the support I received, I am able to be there for the women who come after me. The sister of ...

Jessica’s Story

We began trying for children in October 2009. Due to a rare genetic disorder my husband carried and our family history, we anticipated loss to be a part of that journey. From May 2010-February 2012 we experienced three losses. They were all 3-6 week losses and each time, no heartbeat was detected. We kept trusting the Lord even though it was really hard. I had to battle a lot of bitter feelings because I had friends getting pregnant left and right. It was a challenging time because, while we knew what the Bible says about the faithfulness of God, we were not seeing our prayers answered in the ways we expected. We tried fertility doctors to seek ...

A Prayer For the One Who Feels Forsaken

For the one who feels forsaken: Jesus has felt forsaken too. In Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34, Jesus feels death creeping in while hanging on the cross. He quotes Psalm 22:1 as He cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Let that sink in. Jesus, the person who is unequivocally closest to God and one with Him, felt forsaken. When your world crashes down and there seems to be no saving grace, no fire escape, and no one to shield you from the fire, cry out to God just as Jesus and the Psalmist did. When you feel like God is far from you and elusive, don’t be discouraged. Don’t pull away. Lean in. Reach out. Call out to Him. ...

His Perfect Plan

There are those precious moments, memories that we cling to—that we pour over, again and again. Some of them are full of joy, sweet memories that make us wish we could just turn back time, to experience the moment with greater clarity. Some of those moments are terribly difficult, the emotions still so strong despite any length of time separating us from them. Each memory—whether one that brings us to our knees in sorrow, or one that brings to remembrance the simple joys of motherhood—is so precious. Memories, even the difficult and painful ones, contain a remarkable and irreplaceable beauty. They are part of our stories, both your story and ...

Reflecting on God’s Faithfulness

Welcome to Hope Mommies In the Word devotionals. Over the next few weeks, we will be meditating on Psalm 77 together. As we study these truths together, we’d love 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 dig into God's Word each week with us!  “I will remember the deeds of the LORD,” Psalm 77:11a READ: Asaph had no framework to understand how to respond to his grief. What He had known about God’s character was being tested in the furnace of his affliction. He needed the Lord to show him that his ...

The Gift of Endurance

It wasn’t until many days after the burial of my son that I began to feel the deep grief and suffering. Things had moved too fast up to that point to process the magnitude of what had just occurred. One day, we learned our son had passed away. A few days later he was born, and a few days after that we honored his life with a small graveside service. Yet, when the phone stopped dinging and the casseroles stopped appearing, and I could finally well, just stop, it was then that the heaviness of our loss was truly felt, really felt for the first time. The dictionary describes suffering as the state of undergoing pain, distress, or hardship. Pain? ...

My Platform For the Gospel: Mother of Wilde

Our second son, Noah Wilde Rooney, was born on March 9, 2021. It didn’t take long after he was born still for me to search online for pregnancy and infant loss support groups on Facebook. I was really naïve to the statistics and had a lot of questions about why stillbirth happens. I also wanted to hear the stories of other parents who had lost a child and what helped them during grieving. For weeks, I just observed the posts and stories, always staying hidden in the background. I wasn’t ready to share Noah’s birth story or his photos. It was still foggy to me and reality had not yet set in. My faith was shaken, my marriage was shaken, and I ...

Colleen’s Story

The day before we put our house on the market, I found out I was pregnant. It was a tough time to discover this news with a major move ahead and all the limitations that a pregnancy would put upon me. After all, who would help JJ move our furniture now? And would I be up for packing in light of possible morning sickness and fatigue? Regardless, I started to warm up to the idea of expanding our family within the next few days and even started thinking about baby names. The truth is, I never wanted Liam to be an only child, but the timing was never right to have another baby before. So, as much as the timing still did not seem right to me (nor would ...

A Prayer for the One Who Feels Alone

Dear Grieving Mama, Do you feel alone? I felt an aloneness that permeated to the core of my bones when my son was stillborn. My husband had to go home to be with our daughters and the nurses moved me to the end of the hall so I wouldn’t hear the other babies crying for their moms when it was time to nurse. Instead of snuggling a newborn baby, I lay alone in a bed with grief deeper than I thought possible. As the moments turned into hours and the hours into days, the fog of grief lifted and I remembered I was never alone. My Lord Jesus was always with me. He wrapped me in His loving embrace as I slept that first night. He restored my joy in the ...

Restore Your Hearts Unto God

My friends, will you take a brief tour with me of the Scriptures—a tour for the heart? Will you come with me as I remind us about essential truths of the Word of God? Let these serve as a reminder to you and to me. Let these serve as a reminder that you and I serve a great God. A reminder that He is in control. A reminder that He is the one working all things together for our good and His glory. A reminder that He is willing in His heart to be near to us.  You have suffered. But you need God all the more now. Your suffering threatens to distance you from God, to be afraid to trust Him. But He wants you for Himself. He wants you to know Him and ...