An Unearned Inheritance
An inheritance is the acquisition of a possession, condition, or trait from past generations. By tradition, the recipient is not the one who worked for or earned what they have acquired from the contributor. It is simply a gift one receives because of their lineage. I have inherited my mother's eyes, my father's sense of humor, and a little plot of land tucked into the fields of East Texas. I also have inherited heaven. There has been no work on my part to obtain any of my inheritance.
"The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful ...
Discussions in Grief: Fear
Grieving involves new emotions and considerations often too many to numbers. When you find yourself in overwhelming grief, you likely feel buried and lost. In this series, we slowly and compassionately look at one aspect of grief at a time from a biblical perspective for the newly grieving mother. Click {here} to read past posts in this series.
Anxiety and worry have been consistent struggles in my life before loss and after. It wasn’t until I experienced the profound grief of baby loss that I was able to identify the root of my anxiety as fear, and the root of ...
Saran’s Story
I was about six months pregnant with our first child, a baby boy named Riley. Up until this point it had been a smooth and happy pregnancy. I dealt with those typical pregnancy symptoms, and even though those can drive you crazy, the thought of becoming a mommy was the most beautiful gift that I could have ever been given.
On January 17, 2016, my husband and I both started having stomach pains before bed and we naturally thought it was probably something we ate. His pain was gone by morning but mine was intensifying. Nevertheless, I got up and got ready for work, but I ...
Be Patient With One Another: Her Story
Someone has said, “Patience is love on the anvil, bearing blow after blow of suffering.”
Long ago, the Apostle Paul expressed it this way: “Be patient, bearing with one another in love” (Ephesians 4:2).
And in his famous “love chapter” from I Corinthians 13, Paul said it like this:
“Love is patient…”
The first of 15 qualities that Paul ascribes to love is patience. Long-suffering. Literally “long-fused”. Slow to anger. Bearing with another’s imperfections, faults, and differences.
Just a couple of years ago, after 24 years ...
Be Patient With One Another: His Story
Patience
How my wife has shown me great patience during this deep loss
Pause: The loss of our little girl caused our lives to pause and stop at a moment in time, a moment that will never be forgotten. I’m reminded of a margin in a book or a comma between words; it’s there for a reason. Watching my hurting bride, Kelly, at this deepest pause God put in our path was the hardest sorrow my heart has felt.
Then I called on the name of the Lord: “O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”
Psalm 116:4
Acceptance: At the beginning of this trial, what my wife and I ...
A New Kingdom
Welcome to Hope Mommies In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be narrowing in on specific truths of the gospel to learn how they direct and inform us in our grief. 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!
By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God,
so that what is seen was not made out of ...
Choose Hope 2022: T-Shirt + Candle Fundraiser
October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month.
This month is for all of us who call ourselves Hope Moms. Whether we are barely hanging on or we have found hope amidst the heartache, this month is for us. From before the beginning of time, God set our little ones apart to be our children; and though out of our sight for now, our babies are still ours and always will be.
I know it hurts, and I won’t pretend to know why our babies died, but I will pray that even in our darkest moments, as we cry over what was lost, that we will also offer whispers of ...
Discussions in Grief: Misunderstood
Grieving involves new emotions and considerations often too many to numbers. When you find yourself in overwhelming grief, you likely feel buried and lost. In this series, we slowly and compassionately look at one aspect of grief at a time from a biblical perspective for the newly grieving mother. Click {here} to read past posts in this series.
“I got back in my car and cried.”
It was a text I received from a friend who had recently lost her baby far too soon. I knew exactly what she meant.
She had just been at a baby shower for another friend, and had ...
Cidelia’s Story
I conceived for the first time in November 2021. When I found out I was pregnant I was initially scared because I had a dead end job and was barely making any money at all. But that fear soon gave way to excitement as I thought about being a mommy for the first time. I absolutely love babies, and have always wanted children of my own. Growing up, I helped raise my sister, so I knew that raising a baby wouldn’t be easy, but I also knew I was ready.
I felt really at peace as I looked forward to being a first time mom. My husband and I were so excited. We began getting ...
Serve One Another: Her Story
I arrived at the doctor’s office and was almost immediately called back for my ultrasound. But as the first glimpse of this precious little one appeared on the monitor, I knew in my heart that something was not right. He was not as big as I had expected for being 14 weeks. And he was completely still. Schmidt babies are never still.
After a few moments of searching, our ultrasound tech confirmed what I already knew to be true. His heart was not beating, and mine was aching.
I was moved into another room to wait to meet with other nurses and doctors who would tell me ...
