31 results for tag: Kayla

Three Years Later

It can often seem as though you will always be drowning beneath the acute pain of loss. However, while our grief never truly ends, it doesn't always look and feel the same way. In this series, our writers speak from where they are now in their grief, _________ years later. Throughout this series, you will find testimonies of how grief has changed them, and how God has used their heartache to shape them into a greater reflection of His image. 3 years later.  One. Thank you, Lord, for sustaining me through that first year of deep, overwhelming grief that felt heavy and unrelenting. Thank you for carrying me through the waves that ...

He Has Set Eternity On Our Hearts

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 grief. "Also, He has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot&...

Hymns of Hope: What a Friend We Have in Jesus

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. My grief was overrun with the sin of fear and distrust. Out of that struggle, I learned to pray in a new way. I know that sounds so elementary, but I want to be honest about how groundbreaking this simple act was in my life after loss. Before loss, I loved learning about truth and reading Scripture. I could recall and apply many concepts and verses from God's Word. I had grown deeply in my intimacy ...

When You Feel Misunderstood In Grief

God’s Word speaks thoroughly and abundantly into every season of the heart. As we study His Word, we learn that within its pages are found the ultimate source of comfort and peace for the sufferer. In this series, we will seek to carefully and compassionately apply these ancient, scriptural truths to feelings and experiences that are common in grief. How do you feel misunderstood in your grief? Is it the lack of grace extended for time off work? Friends who don’t understand why you’re still sad? Family who want you to “move on”? We’ve all been there, sister. You’re not alone. Most of our children in heaven didn’t ...

Mothering With Empty Arms

Each child gone ahead from among us is a precious person made in the image of God—and all having been made into Hope Moms, we together declare motherhood in each of our journeys. We are eager to go above and beyond in showing honor and love for one another (Rom. 12:10, 15). Through this series, we honor each other’s experiences of motherhood in love through our shared God of hope. What does it look like to mother with empty arms, to mother on one side of heaven while your baby is on the other? It looks like having the heart of a nurturer with nobody to nurture, the heart of a mother, yet there is nobody to mother. Maternity clothes ...

Kayla’s Lament

To lament is to turn to God in honest, desperate prayer, expressing the reality of our emotions—as intense and tumultuous as they may be. Ultimately, a lament is an expression of faith in the God who hears our cries and responds with mercy and grace. In this series, we seek to write our own laments in the style of the Psalmists, beginning by giving voice to the real and raw emotions that accompany our grief, and then lifting our eyes heavenward in trust and adoration of the One who is greater than all of our sorrow. I’m sorrowful over simply being called to write this piece, To be able to express such lament, A lament over the loss of ...

The First Pregnancy Announcement I Received After Loss

I’ve often compared my grief to an infant who needs full attention and love to survive. Friends often extend immense grace to us in our grief as they did in my case, but eventually, the attention naturally dwindles as our grief continues. It isn’t because our friends are bad friends who have forgotten about our pain. This world just keeps moving forward and sweeps us right along with it. Life goes on, and naturally other babies enter the story—babies who live and are healthy. This was one of the most difficult parts of my early grief process, but also one of the most healing and redemptive. I still to this day feel terrible for the close ...

A Renewed Focus for the New Year

New Year’s resolutions have a bad reputation. So much so that my husband decided to start working out on December 31 last year to avoid quitting during 2019. I will say he was successful in his reasoning, but one day didn’t actually make the difference. His commitment to one day at a time with focus on his future goals did.  As believers, we often find ourselves living with this temporary, humanistic view of time—we are impatient, frustrated in trials, lacking in perseverance, not living with eternity in mind, worrying, not trusting God for provision, or living in fear. Often, our goal is to make this life as easy as possible, not ...

When You Can’t Understand God’s Plan…

God’s Word speaks thoroughly and abundantly into every season of the heart. As we study His Word, we learn that within its pages are found the ultimate source of comfort and peace for the sufferer. In this series, we will seek to carefully and compassionately apply these ancient, scriptural truths to feelings and experiences that are common in grief. In a young child’s mind, the world revolves around them. They don’t have the capability to understand that every need can’t be met in their timing, every question cannot be answered, and every desire can’t be fulfilled. This is how I characterized myself, at times, in my green ...

Infertility After Loss

Each child gone ahead from among us is a precious person made in the image of God—and all having been made into Hope Moms, we together declare motherhood in each of our journeys. Through this series, we honor each other’s experiences of motherhood in love through our shared God of hope. When I was a newlywed, I struggled with the thought of wanting children. My time, money, and freedom were all too valuable to me to the point where I wasn’t sure I should even be married. Marriage proved very difficult for us, and around that same time, I was very hurt by people in the church. It all left me bitter, frustrated, and confused as to ...