Book Review: “A Heart Set Free,” by Christina Fox
Melissa Kruger, who blogs at The Gospel Coalition, wrote this in the foreword of A Heart Set Free, by Christina Fox, concerning her struggle to reconcile feelings with the Christian faith: “Each time I tried to push [my emotions] down, they would pop back up in another form. In some ways, I found myself struggling with the fact that I had any negative emotions at all. Wasn’t I supposed to “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you”? (1 Thess. 5:16-18) Did this verse ...
Purpose in the Pain: Drawn to the Lord
It’s been ten years since I held my baby boy in my arms on that hot July day. Some days it feels like a lifetime ago, and others it seems like just yesterday. When I think about that season of my life, there are certain details that stand out to me. I remember how hot it was every single day. Our area experienced a pretty severe drought in the summer of 2011, and the heat was more than anything this Texas girl had ever before experienced. I cried when we finally had a good afternoon rain shower!
I remember the fierce love that I felt from a community that ...
Shannon’s Story
When we found out we were pregnant with our third child, we were over the moon. Being ever the planner, I immediately began to envision how this new one would fit into our lives. At our 20 week ultrasound we found out we were having a girl. We brought home pink flowers and balloons to surprise our two oldest. The next day I bought her first outfit—a sweet little summer romper.
There were a few small things that came up on the ultrasound that we needed to follow up on, but we were assured that they were nothing major. We went back at 24 weeks and everything seemed to ...
Ask the Blog Team: How Do You Handle the Fear of Something Happening Now to Your Husband or Living Children?
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.
In the year following our loss, I did wrestle with these fears. A lot. I don't think they were there before that time, but they pushed me to realize how ultimately I lacked ...
It Doesn’t End in the Struggle
Losing a baby causes many secondary losses—loss of hope, loss of innocence, even loss of strength. Many of us have also lost close relationships as a direct result of our child’s death and how we, and other people, chose to handle it. Loss ripples outward in large and small waves all over our lives.
For me, losing our children to miscarriage meant that I lost a good portion of the peace I had—peace that I realized later was built upon the sand of life’s circumstances. In retrospect, I can see that it was inevitable that I would lose that peace. It was ...
In the Word: Children of God
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.
"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God."John 1:12
One of the first sentences out of our doctor's mouth when coming back into the hospital room to consult with us after we learned that our daughter no longer had a heartbeat was that we now had our ...
Blessed Hope
My Gwendolyn was my very first pregnancy. It was beautiful, and it was perfect. Then I was in labor, and we lost her heartbeat. I was at a birthing center, and so they rushed me over to get an emergency c-section and the on call head of L&D told me, “You need to be prepared for the fact that when you wake up your baby might not be alive.” Even in labor I was just thinking, “What are you telling me? How do I prepare for that? I prepared the past nine months for a baby. I had baby showers, I have a nursery, I have dreams of what my life is going to ...
Freely Given, Freely Received: Seeking Reconciliation
It was only a few weeks after Anna died and I could sense that she was pregnant. Why wouldn’t she just tell me and get it over with? And how could she hide this knowing how badly I hurt? I talked with my grief counselor about my fears. I expressed how hurt I was—as if my friend getting pregnant was a direct attack on me and my grief. I was jealous, I was envious, I was angry.
I wasn’t angry at God for allowing it, I was angry at her for letting this happen so soon after my loss. I realized it was incredibly selfish, but I needed time to heal first ...
Becky’s Story
I became a Hope Mom on May 2, 2015. It was less than five weeks shy of my due date with our second child, and I found myself headed to the hospital thinking I may have an early delivery. However, when I arrived there, I found out my son was already with Jesus. It’s the kind of thing I thought would never happen to me.
There are many things I am thankful for in the midst of our loss. All the tangible things that the Lord provided in loss, especially the sweet presence of family and friends with the many ways they sought to help us. But above all things, ...
Bear Much Fruit: Self-Control
The notion of self-control suggests that our hearts are divided. As children of God, we are constantly battling against desires, responses, and impulses that should not be gratified. Every day of our lives is filled with choices. And every choice presents us with the opportunity to either honor the Lord or satisfy the flesh. Self-control is the ability to forsake these sinful inclinations.
The battle for self-control is fought in every area of our lives—from choosing what we eat, to how we respond in traffic. And while different aspects of our lives may be ...
