163 results for tag: Ashlee

Choosing to Draw Near

I walked down the hall as tears began to form in the corners of my eyes. It had been just a few days since I had learned that the babe I was carrying in my womb was already gone from me. Another still heart. Another journey through grief and loss. Moments earlier I had been talking with a friend at church. She too had experienced the loss of a child, and I had been looking forward to connecting with her, knowing that she understood the heartache I was enduring. But throughout our entire conversation, she never spoke of my loss. Even when I mentioned how difficult of a week it had been for me, she changed the subject by telling me about the mischief ...

Because He Lives

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow,Because He lives, all fear is gone;Because I know He holds the future,And life is worth the living,Just because He lives! Because He Lives, Bill and Gloria Gaither Never did the resurrection bring such comfort to my weary heart as when I first found out that my baby’s heart had stopped beating. I was suddenly faced with the reality of death and all that it had stripped me of—all of the firsts and all the memories that would never be experienced, the innocence and care-free naivety of pregnancy, and the sense of “completeness” for our family. Something—someone—would always be missing. Fear and ...

The Wonderful Cross

Oh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful CrossBids me come and die and find that I may truly liveOh the wonderful Cross, oh the wonderful CrossAll who gather here by grace, draw near and bless Your name The Wonderful Cross, Chris Tomlin The cross is heart-wrenching and bloody. It is shameful and full of rejection. It is painful, and terrifying, and yet so beautiful. This day that we call “Good Friday” is the day that God watched His only Son die. Our God can and does empathize with us in our sorrow, because He has felt it too. That cross—it is heart-wrenching and bloody. It is shameful and full of rejection. It is painful, and terrifying, and ...

Our Greatest Weapon in Grief

“Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18 Prayer—the direct line to our General. Without His strength, our amor is useless in battle. Paul knew that our greatest need in battle is to go to God early and often for help. Through prayer, we call upon God's strength and remain dependent on Him. God wants to be God for us. He wants to be our hope and defender, our refuge and rock, the One who fights for us. The command to pray, which is found all throughout Scripture, is simply an invitation from God to be the ...

Guarding Our Hearts in Grief

A few weeks ago, my husband and I sat down on the couch together to rest after a long day. Just moments after our backs hit the cushions, we heard the sound of heavy footsteps overhead. Assuming that one of our children was out of bed when they shouldn’t be, I walked upstairs to assess the situation, only to find them all sleeping heavily. The footsteps continued, and we soon realized that an unwelcome group of visitors must have made their way into our attic while we were away earlier that afternoon. After a quick check around the house, we discovered that our garage door had been scratched away at from the inside, and our dumpster had been ...

How God Equips Us for the Battles We Face in Grief

The days and weeks that followed the loss of my precious baby were filled with a battlefield of emotions and temptations. After becoming so intimately familiar with the frailty of life, I found myself fearful over the well-being of my husband and living children. I was nervous when they were away from me—what if something happened to them while I wasn’t nearby to keep them safe? I was anxious when we left the comfort and safety of our home. There were so many more things that I could not control out there. Most days, joy seemed illusive. Even so, when I would experience even the faintest glimmer of pleasure or happiness, it felt like a ...

Strength Doesn’t Begin with Me

In those early days of grief, there were always three little sets of eyes on me, observing the path their momma was choosing through the sorrow. My living children weren’t quite old enough to comprehend the loss that our family had endured. Death was a concept that their then two, three, and four-year-old minds did not fully understand. All they knew was that the baby in mommy’s tummy was somehow no longer there and now everybody felt sad. I wanted my children to see me grieve well, but I didn’t know how to accomplish that. What did it look like to grieve deeply—in such a way that would validate the tremendous value of the life ...

An Unshakeable Hope

Maybe for you the start of a new year has opened fresh wounds concerning the loss of your dear child. It seems unimaginable to live through another year without your baby in your arms. How can everyone around you be dreaming of new beginnings and fresh starts, when all you can see are the endings? The ceasing of a tiny heartbeat. The abrupt end of a pregnancy. The death of your dreams for the future. The ground beneath your feet feels unstable. Will you ever stand on solid ground again? Last week we began a journey through the book of Hebrews to discover how Jesus is the better encouragement. Today, we continue on that path to find out how we can ...

A Better Encouragement

Here we are at the start of a new year. Most of us have made lists of ways we want to grow, things we want to change, and goals we would like to set. Maybe you chose a word for the year, and have been brainstorming all the ways you can allow this word to influence and direct your choices in the months ahead. Perhaps you've joined the "This Is In + This Is Out" trend as a way of categorizing what you hope will be the priorities that define 2024 for you. While many of the resolutions we make at the start of each year are admirable goals, they cannot achieve for us lasting encouragement and satisfaction. In fact, most of the resolutions we make are ...

Strength in the Sorrow: Psalm 16

God's Word is sufficient for our every need, even those that follow the heartbreaking loss of a child. In this series, Hope Moms share about the way God, through His life-giving Word, has provided them with the strength, comfort, encouragement, and hope they needed as they walk through the valleys of loss and grief. "My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to Your word!" Psalm 119:28 Following the death my babies, everything in my life felt like it had been shaken. I constantly needed to remind my weary soul that my foundation—Jesus Christ—was secure. I clung to the life-giving Word of God day after day because nothing ...