Motivated By Love
I was eight and a half months pregnant that first Christmas in my grief. Just four months before, we had received a diagnosis for our unborn son that left us knowing that, barring a miracle from God, we’d be saying goodbye to him way sooner than we ever imagined.
There was something so significant that year about being pregnant at Christmastime. I had low energy, both physically and emotionally, and so in some ways Christmas became a little bit simpler. But, honestly, it became a little bit more meaningful too.
I would go about my days, obviously with child, and I ...
In the Word: Everlasting Father
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!
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall ...
Hope for the Hurting this Christmas
The people of Israel were waiting for the coming of the promised Messiah. They were living under the threat of the Assyrians, who would later bring the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity, when the prophet Isaiah delivered news of a child who would come to dissipate the darkness and redeem the world from sin. This birth announcement was a glimmer of hope in the midst of the fear and sorrow.
“For to us a Child is born,
to us a Son is given;
and the government shall be upon His shoulder,
and His name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everl...
The Suffering Servant Has Come
As I approach Christmas, I can feel that there is—inherently—a sense of longing that swells this season, especially having lost my child on this earth. I have a biblical longing for all to be made right, for the gap between this world and the next to be gone, for the righteous King of all to return—not as a baby this time, but as the One coming on the clouds carrying all victory over sin and death. The reality that this world is missing what I most desire is all the more pronounced through my unique, acute, and raw awareness of how empty this life can feel. And ...
Erin’s Story
Emma Grace was our first child. Everything was going perfectly with the pregnancy when we went in for our routine 20-week ultrasound in October of 2011. Then everything changed. After finding out that there were many things medically wrong with our precious girl, we left the doctor’s office in complete shock and devastation.
I remember thinking, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we get to live out the faith that we have professed and said we have believed our whole lives. This is when we get to choose to walk with the Lord or not. I truly felt ...
A Release from Remembering
November arrives and as the holidays come within reach, I feel a near physical ache. Holidays have a built in nostalgia—have you ever noticed that? Reflection is inherent in the joy of a holiday celebration.
We look back on the year and remember its highs and lows; we take pictures to capture our family and friends as they are right now, so we can remember in years to come. We reflect and remember, and for grievers there is an inescapable wondering that happens at the holidays. We remember what we have lost. What would she have wanted for Christmas this year? How big ...
To Gaze on the Christ-Child
One silent night, over 2,000 years ago, God came to the earth as a baby. Immanuel. God with us. A baby who came to live so he could die, and would die so we could live.
This is the hope of Christmas.
This is the hope of Christ.
But when your heart is broken and bleeding and the sting of commercial holiday cheer intensifies it all, that hope may not bring much comfort. Not because the Christ-child is not enough, but because we push what is offered away.
The lights glisten on the tree. The stockings hang over the fire. Familiar tunes are sung about joy and being ...
In the Word: Mighty God
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 His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty ...
What to do When Your Friend Loses a Baby
Often in our grief, those closest to us do not know how to comfort and encourage us. Sometimes they stay away or don’t say anything at all because they are afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing. In this series, we hope to better equip those around us to come alongside a grieving mother—to enter their hurt and offer hope and encouragement, or simply grieve with them.
This past summer I was experiencing the most intense and sudden pain I've ever had. After an hour where I was just trying to bear it, Nate overruled and we went to the ER. After all night in the ...
Light in the Darkness
“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shown.”
Isaiah 9:2
Does it feel as though God is silent or distant? Does it seem like the Christmas season only reminds you of the ache in your heart for the ones you wished were with you? Do you wonder if God will breathe life into the broken places of your heart, or if there will ever be a day where it won’t feel so dark?
You are not alone in those questions, fears, and silent cries for God to not feel so silent. In fact, for 400 years the ...
