Cliche Comforts: “Everything Happens For A Reason”
Everything happens for a reason. I heard it when my son died and I heard a young mother say it the other day. I didn’t like it 26 years ago when someone said it to me, and it still rubbed me wrong the other day. I know the young mom who just buried her child had probably been told that and she was just repeating it. I didn’t have a good response at the time, but that phrase has been banging around in my head for a few weeks now.
Here’s what I wish I had replied to that hurting mom. I wish I had told her I don’t know why babies die and cannot figure out a good ...
God’s Goodness to Me
We are great at declaring God’s goodness when He does something for us, when He shows up in the way we had prayed for and hoped—when He provides, when He heals. I heard a story of a man who was reading his Bible on a train when it crashed and killed many. He told a reporter, “I don’t know why I didn’t die, why I’m still alive…God is so good.” While I do not disagree with his statement, or think we shouldn’t declare God’s goodness when He spares our lives, heals, and provides, I just couldn’t help but think of the questions that may appear on the ...
In the Word: Protected
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.
"who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." 1 Peter 1:5a
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Our heavenly future, or, the final step in the process of our salvation (Romans 8:30), is being guarded heavily. Here, "guarded" gives the image of a military presence that is shielding what is of ...
Ask the Blog Team: What is Something You Wish You Would Have Known?
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.
What is something you wish you would have known in those early days of grieving when it felt so heavy and dark?
I wish I had known it wouldn't always be so heavy and dark. I ...
Cliche Comforts: “You Are So Strong”
“You are so strong.”
How do you respond when someone says these words as a complement or kind word of encouragement, but you feel so very weak and weary? This well-meaning comment is one that I still hear ten years after the loss of our son. I often want to look around and say, “Who, me?” Every time someone says this I think to myself, “But what if I’m not?”
At the beginning, I didn’t want to risk someone misunderstanding my doubt in my own strength as doubt in the sovereignty of God, so I simply said, “Thank you.” If I showed fear, anxiety, or ...
Tiffany’s Story
My husband and I found out we were pregnant with our second child on October 9, 2020. I was excited and nervous at the same time thinking about becoming a mommy of two. As time went by, it obviously became more and more exciting. We found out at 20 weeks we were pregnant with a baby boy. It was the first boy on my side of the family so we were all very excited.
I had a very easy pregnancy. I had no complications and baby was very healthy all the way through. As a matter of fact, at my last OB appointment the doctor said, “I wish every pregnancy was this easy.”
I ...
Book Review: “Be Still My Soul”
Though not every portion of Be Still My Soul: Embracing God’s Purpose & Provisions in Suffering, edited by Nancy Guthrie struck a chord, I was glad I read this collection of essays and excerpts—finding some especially meaningful. As opposed to being a guide through grief or suffering, or tackling a particular aspect of suffering in depth, the range of authors and viewpoints collected in this book makes its scope rather broad. So, if you are looking to delve into further study about biblical topics surrounding suffering, and you’re not sure where or with ...
Discussions in Grief: Feeling Robbed
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.
My daughter, Kinley, entered this world at 27 1/2 weeks, trimming three months off my pregnancy. She lived 44 days, cutting a lifetime off her life.
I felt robbed—robbed of my pregnancy, robbed of my daughter, ...
In the Word: A Future That Won’t Be Ruined
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.
"to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,"
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We as believers were included in Christ's last will (John 17:22). That means that with Him, we will inherit new bodies that can never die and a new environment that will not be governed by the effects of sin—like sorrow, tragedy, and ...
Cliche Comforts: “Time Heals All Wounds”
When loved ones see us in the depths of our pain, they want to give us hope to cling to. They often attempt to do so by offering us words they think may be comforting. One of the most common of these sayings is, “Time heals all wounds.” They expect to be planting seeds of hope for the future in our hearts, but most often those words hurt more than help. From my experience, this saying not only hurts but also rings untrue.
In the early days of grief after my daughter Ginny was stillborn, time seemed to be so hugely empty. It somehow felt loud how empty time was. What ...
