1104 results for author: Ashlee Schmidt

Choose Hope 2021

The pain of losing a child, whether to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss, is among the most agonizing of sorrows. Whether your loss occurred many years ago or very recently, the ache you carry in your heart is heavy indeed. There is nothing that can prepare you for the devastation of losing a child, and there are no words that can take away the pain that results. But dear one, your grief does not need to be carried alone. For the past fifteen years, our nation has officially recognized October 15 as an opportunity to honor and remember our precious babies who have gone home before us, and to spread awareness of the tragedy that befalls ...

Kristin’s Story

After three years of tearful prayers and longing, my husband and I were ecstatic when we learned we were expecting our first child. This baby, a little boy we named Ethan, was a long-awaited answer to many prayers and we praised God for this precious gift. “God is so faithful,” we heard again and again, as we shared the news with the countless friends and family who had been praying for us over the years. God’s faithfulness felt so evident in our lives and our hearts overflowed with gratitude.  At our 20-week anatomy scan, we learned that Ethan displayed a variety of concerning markers. We were later told our sweet baby boy had Full ...

Bear Much Fruit: Kindness

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentlenessand self-control.-Galatians 5:22 When we are grieving, is it possible to have any fruit in our lives? When all we want to do is hole up in a cave, can we be patient with those that aren’t grieving—and who just might possibly say hurtful things because they don’t understand? When the days are long and full of sorrow, can we have joy and peace? When we are angry and hurt, can we be kind?  The short answer is “yes!” When we grieve, it is easy to turn within ourselves and keep our focus on our own sorrow. But when we do that ...

Ask the Blog Team: What Did You Wrestle With God About During the Early Days After Your Baby Died?

Welcome to our Q+A series, Ask the Blog Team. In this series, the Hope Mommies blog team joins together to answer questions that are commonly asked in grief. If there is a question or topic that you have wrestled with in your grief that you would like the opportunity to see how other Hope Moms have processed or answered, we would love to hear from you. You can submit your questions here. I had supernatural peace in the early days about what was to come and what happened after Anna passed. My questions were more related to "what's next?" Don't worry, the other questions came eventually, but early on while still experiencing immense grief, I ...

In the Word: Growing in Grace

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. It is our desire that this series will aid you in getting in the Bible for yourself and discovering the joy that comes from hearing from God through the pages of His Word. "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."Galatians 2:20 READ: Martyn Lloyd-Jones writes this about the connection: We have been crucified with Christ— 'I am crucified with Christ', says Paul.' All that has happened to Him ...

Bear Much Fruit: Patience

“May you be strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might,for all endurance and patience with joy.” -Colossians 1:11 Strength and patience walk hand in hand. This is why Paul prayed for the church in Collosae to be strengthened with all power in order to be patient. Patience requires great inner strength. Take a minute to read through this definition of patience: “The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset—calmly enduring pain and trying situations.” I don’t know about you, but there are days (which occur more often than I’d like to admit) when this level of ...

Wrestling Well

I first started walking with Jesus as a young child, and my faith has been and still is the most important part of my life. I know this all sounds so “nice,” and it certainly is, but it’s fair and even helpful to share that walking with Jesus hasn’t always been easy for me. In fact, walking with Jesus has been very difficult through the years. I’ve wrestled and doubted, as I would imagine many of you have too. I’ve noticed there seems to be a temptation to wrestle secretly because we feel ashamed––we worry others will think we’re losing our faith or that they’ll say something unhelpful and fuel the fire of our questioning, ...

Brandy’s Story

Where do I begin to tell the story of our daughter whose life would come to change our world in so many ways?   In December of 2019, after a difficult few months filled with sickness and the loss of my precious Mommy, I caught the flu. Our oldest son had recently been hospitalized for the same thing, and I had fallen ill caring for him. On Christmas Eve, a friend persuaded me to take a pregnancy test because I was still very sick.  I was in shock when the test was positive. My first thoughts were, “Lord, what are you thinking? Here I am barely holding down the fort and keeping things together with two children. How will I ever ...

Bear Much Fruit: Peace

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in you.” – Isa. 26:3 There is no more heartbeat for my little girl. But peace Sobbing while on the phone with my mom from a hospital bed. But peace A hand in mine, belonging to a crying father. But peace A wearied doctor with no answers. But peace Silence from the newly-birthed lips that resemble mine. But peace Watching the nurse walk my daughter's tender body from the hospital room and out of my earthly life. But peace Funeral flowers instead of welcome-home wishes. But peace A nursery now for ...

Book Review: Walking with God through Pain and Suffering

Throughout many years of pastoral ministry, Timothy Keller and his wife Kathy, walked alongside countless individuals in the midst of suffering, and faced great suffering of their own. Through these experiences they came to realize that “the heart of why people disbelieve and believe in God, of why people decline and grown in character, of how God becomes less real and more real to us — is suffering.” (6)  Suffering is inevitable. No amount of planning and preparation can completely guard you from facing suffering in this life. In John 16:33 Jesus says, “Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. We ...