1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt
A Precious Memory with My Daughter
My parents raised my two sisters and me in the church and in a strong Christian household. When it came to baptism, our parents wanted us to make that decision for ourselves. They never pressured us into getting baptized. As a child, I thought baptism was for new Christians only, and since I wasn’t a new Christian, it seemed weird for me to be baptized. I was also really shy. If my sisters weren’t going in front of everyone at church, neither was I!
As I grew older, I understood that baptism wasn’t just for new Christians. It is an outward representation of the rebirth into life with Jesus. It is meant to show the world the internal baptism of ...
Guilt + Grief: Is Experiencing Joy Again A Betrayal of My Baby?
The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ.
My husband and I exchanged glances as we piled the last few pool toys in the car. It was time. Packed to the brim, we were headed out of town for our first family-of-four getaway. Multiple stops for drinks and ice cream along the way resulted in smiles that stretched across my ...
Defined By God’s Love
Love stories. We've read them in books. We've watched them on tv and movies. We are drawn to the romance, the passion, the security. We long to know that true love exists and that it exists for us. That need for love, to feel loved, is in every person. The key is to make sure that the love that defines us is from the right source.
In order to embrace our identity of "loved," we need to know where love is not found.
Love is not based on appearance. Your hair, your skin, your weight, those things don't earn you love. When we look in the mirror, we all see things we'd like to change. But what does God see?
"The LORD does not look at the things ...
In the Word: Even Though
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying the book of Habakkuk together. In this book, we gain insight into how God is at work on our behalf even when we can't always see it. Join us in the weeks ahead as we discover the God who is who carefully and lovingly crafted you, and lovingly created the gift of your child for which you now long. He has not carried you thus far simply to leave you on your own, but will be your Guide and your Strength.
Even Though
"Even though the fig trees have no blossoms,
and there are no grapes on the vines;
even though the olive crop ...
Guilt + Grief: Could My Loss Have Been Prevented?
The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ.
Could I have done something to prevent this loss?Did I do something to cause her death?
These questions haunted me after the death of my daughter, Isabelle. I went into labor with her at 39 weeks and wanted to labor at home as long as possible, so my midwife ...
Running the Race
The nature of infant loss occurring in 1 out of 4 pregnancies, means that there are new women joining our community on a weekly basis. Over the next few weeks, we want to repost some of our earliest blog articles to encourage the dear mommas that have recently joined the ministry and community of Hope Mommies. Although these posts may have been written many years ago, the truths they contain remain the same. God is enough. He has always been enough. And as we place our hope in Him, we will find that He is our anchor in the midst of this storm of grief.
After our daughter died, I started running. I wasn't really a runner before. Yeah, I ran ...
Guilt + Grief: Should I Always Share About My Hope Baby When Talking to Others About My Family?
The weight of grief that comes from the loss of a child is a tremendously heavy burden to carry. For many Hope Moms, that weight is compounded by the additional burden of guilt. In this series, we seek to gently guide the grieving mother to the foot of the cross to exchange this burden of guilt for the peace, assurance, and forgiveness that is found in Christ.
After we lost our daughter, Ginny, at just under 35 weeks, I dreaded being asked the question, “Do you have kids?” I knew that question would come eventually, and I had no idea how to answer it. I knew I had a daughter in heaven and in my heart. I knew I was a ...
To The Newly Grieving Mother
You recently found out that the precious baby you were carrying, the gift you have been longing for and planning for, is not longer with you. You had your whole world come crashing down around you. You had a knife thrust right into your heart, right into your family.
Tears can never be enough. Tears can never fully release the emotions you feel right now. They cannot even begin to convey the aching, agony, and deep, deep, gut-wrenching sorrow you feel.
There are a million questions that begin to flood your mind. Questions that keep you up at night. Questions that seem to not have any real answers. Doctors, specialists, scholarly articles, ...
