Lollipops of Grace
The nature of infant loss occurring in 1 out of 4 pregnancies, means that there are new women joining our community on a weekly basis. Over the next few weeks, we want to repost some of our earliest blog articles to encourage the dear mommas that have recently joined the ministry and community of Hope Mommies. Although these posts may have been written many years ago, the truths they contain remain the same. God is enough. He has always been enough. And as we place our hope in Him, we will find that He is our anchor in the midst of this storm of grief.
Summertime ...
Kollette’s Story
In December 2018, after an early loss in 2017 and one long year of fertility treatments, we were pregnant. I remember like it was yesterday—waking up that morning to take my test on the scheduled day per my treatments. Honestly, I expected it to be negative, but it wasn’t. Finally, we were going to have another baby.
Scan after scan our little girl continued to grow, her heart beating strong. She always measured a little further behind, but no one ever showed too much concern. We went back and forth on a name for her. We allowed our daughters to help pick a ...
Always Missed, But Never Missing From My Heart
How many children do you have? This is a question we have all heard many times, and it’s a question that has brought with it many different emotions for me—emotions that have changed and evolved depending on my current phase of motherhood. I’ve experienced excitement and pride in telling others about my children. I’ve also experienced apprehension, wondering what kind of unsolicited parenting advice I was about to receive. But never did I think that question would produce the anxious feelings I now get when asked.
I am a mother to seven. My ...
He’s in the Waiting
Right around the time that my husband and I started trying to get pregnant, the song “Take Courage” by Kristene DiMarco came out. It is a song of victory and talks about trusting God’s plan over ours in a season of waiting, knowing that He is in every detail. The song urges the audience to have courage and remain steadfast in faith through these times where God seems silent or is not answering in the way we hoped.
This song became an anthem for me. I would raise my hands and passionately proclaim that God was with me in this season while I waited for a baby. ...
Consider the Work of God
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying the book of Ecclesiastes together, which centers on the truth that life apart from Christ is empty and vain. In its pages, we discover how to view our lives with an eternal perspect...
Hymns of Hope: How Firm a Foundation
Many of the hymns were born out of immense sorrow. In this series, we will examine these songs of old, discover the circumstances behind when they were written, and find comfort in the lyrics that so powerfully point us to the hope of Christ.
It was a song I wasn’t familiar with. I don’t even know how my husband found it. I was numb, too numb to take in his suggestion. Yet, when he shared the lyrics with me, and I heard the actual song with the words, something stood out. Was it the right fit? Would these words provide comfort, meaning, and a steady reminder of ...
God is the Great Redeemer
I have never felt more violated than when I got the news that death had entered my womb. Such an unwelcome visitor, a thief, that I did not give permission to enter my body. Death stings no matter the age or circumstance, but it is extra personal and strange when death comes to a child still attached to your living body. Baby P died at 18 weeks en utero due to trisomy 18. His death meant that we would soon be separated; my body would give birth to him, and he would be laid to rest. Death is the great separator. But I rejoice knowing that Jesus conquered death—the ...
Hymns of Hope: ‘Tis So Sweet
Many of the hymns were born out of immense sorrow. In this series, we will examine these songs of old, discover the circumstances behind when they were written, and find comfort in the lyrics that so powerfully point us to the hope of Christ.
Hearing or singing hymns from my childhood is like a warm blanket to my soul. There is such a comfort and peace that comes with recalling truths in the form of familiar music. “Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus” is one of these songs for me. It’s as if I’m transported right back to my home church, sitting in an orange ...
The Church and Grief: Stephanie’s Experience
In this series, we will explore the unique joys and difficulties we encounter as Hope Moms when re-engaging with church after loss, and seek to help the Church (leaders, members, and ministries) understand how they can come alongside the grieving mother to provide hope, healing, and community in the midst of such great sorrow.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”Hebrews ...
We Cannot Know God’s Ways
Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying the book of Ecclesiastes together, which centers on the truth that life apart from Christ is empty and vain. In its pages, we discover how to view our lives with an eternal perspective, enabling us to press into the Lord regardless of our circumstances. In this series, we seek to explore the wise principles presented to us by "the Teacher" in order to better understand what it looks like to walk in the fear and joy of the Lord even in the midst of our ...
