48 results for tag: Erin

Purposed: Nothing Is Wasted

Grief can play such destructive tricks on your mind. There were moments that I really thought I made up everything about my pregnancy—but knowing that Gwen is real, heaven is real, and I will really go there because of what Christ did for me was an anchor to my wild thoughts and a balm to my grieving heart. What is the big question that we ask ourselves, again and again? “Why? Why did this happen? Why me? Why my baby and my family?” While these are not unspiritual questions to ask, the Bible doesn’t always reveal the "why’s" of God. But, it does reveal His character and the assurance of His Spirit. So, when when we are plagued by ...

Purposed: Made For Eternity

“The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”Psalm 138:8 I know that “purpose” is a big word—it carries some heavy weight. So before we really get into God’s purposes, I want us to consider this verse from Deuteronomy 29:29: “The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” There are many things about God and His divinity that we can’t know—they are the ‘secret things’ that are for Him, for His glory. But sisters, He has revealed ...

Purposed: Hope Remains

Five years ago, I didn’t know about women like us. I didn’t know that miscarriage happens to 1 in 4 women; that stillbirth is 1 in 160, and that 6 out of every 1,000 infants in the US don’t live to see their first birthday. I was totally oblivious, until October 18, 2010. My Gwendolyn fit into the last category. After a perfect first pregnancy and 24 hours of labor in a birthing center, we lost her heartbeat. I was put on oxygen. I heard the terror in my midwives voices. I was rushed to the ER for an Emergency Cesarean. And when I woke, my husband told me that our little girl was in the NICU with heart and liver damage. And I still thought, ...

God Exists And Has Spoken To Us

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."Genesis 1:1   READ: What can we observe in this one sentence? There was a beginning. God was at the beginning. God is the Creator. This is not an explanation of how God came to be. With this one sentence, the reality of God is established as fact. He existed before anything else existed, and He had the power and authority to create the heavens and earth. The truth that God exists is evidenced not only from what the Bible says, but also from the created world around us. In Psalm 19:1-4, it says,   "The heavens proclaim the glory of God.The skies display His ...

The Test

"The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, and the LORD tests hearts." Proverbs 17:3 Yesterday I came across this verse, and found much comfort in it. These were my observations: Silver, gold, and other precious metals are of great worth.Because they possess value, they must be made pure and spotless; who would purchase imperfect, muddied gold? The inherent worth of the material demands purification.The materials, while raw, must be proved genuine. The silver looks shiny, but will it endure age, wear, and the elements? It must be tested to prove its authenticity.Testing of precious metals is achieved and efficient only when it ...

Who Needs Friends?

After college, I moved to Chicago for a change of pace. I wanted—and needed —to spread my wings, abandon my safety zone of family for a time, and learn what it meant to fully depend on the Lord. Being 22, I thought the idea of learning loneliness sounded so romantic in a tragic sort of way. I pictured myself strolling the streets of the windy city, coffee mug in hand, with a cute sweater and scarf and with the soundtrack of Natalie Merchant crooning in the background. What I learned is that loneliness is not romantic. Coffee and cute scarves are too expensive when you're learning to pay all your bills on your own, and being surrounded by ...

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 makes me think of popsicles and lollipops, playing in sprinklers, and waving ...

Anchored

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. Have you ever looked up the definition of the word "hope"? According to dictionary.com, ...

Yet I Will Rejoice

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying the book of Habakkuk together. In this book, we gain insight into how God is at work on our behalf even when we can't always see it. Join us in the weeks ahead as we discover the God who is who carefully and lovingly crafted you, and lovingly created the gift of your child for which you now long. He has not carried you thus far simply to leave you on your own, but will be your Guide and your Strength.  Even Though "Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;even though the ...

God Will Be Faithful

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be studying the book of Habakkuk together. In this book, we gain insight into how God is at work on our behalf even when we can't always see it. Join us in the weeks ahead as we discover the God who is who carefully and lovingly crafted you, and lovingly created the gift of your child for which you now long. He has not carried you thus far simply to leave you on your own, but will be your Guide and your Strength.  God Will Be Faithful"O Lord, I have heard the report of you,    and your work, ...