23 results for tag: Sam

The Belt of Truth

Grief is often accompanied by a myriad of temptations: anger, bitterness, fear, and despair, just to name a few. But God has provided us with everything we need to overcome these temptations, and to move forward in our sorrow with His strength. In this series, we will be studying the various pieces of our spiritual armor, and how each of these pieces uniquely equip us to cling to the hope we have been given in Christ. When Max died, I had so many feelings. Feelings of anger, disbelief, confusion, and doubt in my own body. I was sadder than I have ever been in all my life. Typically I’m not a big feeler; I don’t really ...

Remember His Faithfulness

Paul reminds us in his letter to the church in Thessalonica that we do "not grieve as others do who have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). But what exactly does that mean? In this series, we explore what it looks like to honor God in our grief and examine the ways we can choose to grieve with hope. “Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live.” Deuteronomy 4:9 (NIV) Can you think of an experience in your past you just knew would be seared in your mind, frame by frame, for the rest of your life? Perhaps it was your ...

Knowing Him: The Bread of Life

There is nothing greater than knowing Christ. Seven times in the book of John, Jesus offers us profound insight into His nature and character. In this series, we seek to guide the reader into a deeper understanding of these “I Am” statements, and the rich hope and comfort that can be found in Christ in the midst of grief. Bread—such a simple, staple food with so much rich biblical significance. For the people of Israel, bread was typically a readily available element, no matter one’s income. There is nothing elite or exclusive about bread—from the poorest of the poor to the richest of the rich, everyone ate bread on a daily basis. But ...

He Will Finish the Work He Began in You

God’s Word is filled with rich promises for His children. How do these “precious and very great promises” inform and direct your grief? How does keeping your eyes fixed on these truths anchor your hope in the Lord? In this series, we write about how God, through the promises in His Word, comforts and strengthens us in our sorrow. After my son Max died, I struggled to perform even the most basic of daily tasks. I couldn’t clean my house or cook. I had no interest in putting on makeup or doing my hair. I couldn’t imagine sitting in my office attempting to do anything productive at work ever again. I felt like I was moving in slow ...

Advent: He is Joy

I have to admit that writing about joy in this Advent season feels deeply bittersweet for me. Two years ago, when I was anxiously awaiting the birth of my firstborn son, Max, my church asked me to write a personal Advent piece also centered on joy. At that time, I talked about choosing to find joy in Max’s Down syndrome diagnosis. I reveled in the parallel between awaiting the birth of our Lord Jesus and that of Max. I wrote, “Spencer and I are filled with joy as we anticipate the arrival of our baby who we know will change our lives. And as we wait for Max, we also celebrate the Advent, and wait with great joy and anticipation for the ...

He Sees Me

I was sixteen years old the first time I remember hearing God called El Roi, “The God Who Sees Me.” It felt like such a profound and personal name for a God that I loved but didn’t truly know or understand at the time. And it was a name that stuck with me—that kept pulling at the corners of my mind—though I didn’t then know why. Now I do. The only place in Scripture where God is called El Roi is in Genesis 16. Coincidentally, this is also the only place in Scripture where someone specifically names God. God often names Himself and sometimes even other people: Abraham, Isaac, Israel. But no where else in the Bible does a ...

In the Word: El Roi

Welcome to Hope Mommies’ In the Word devotionals. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at different names of God found in Scripture, and how these different aspects of who He is offer us hope in the midst of our grief.  As we study together, we encourage you to use the comments as a place to dialogue with us about what you are learning and share your answers to the questions below. We pray that you hearts will be encouraged as you study these names of God along with us!  El Roi: “The God Who Sees” “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the ...

Losing A First Child

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. I felt like a mother, but I didn’t look like one. While there are a thousand reasons why losing a child, especially a first child hurts, this was the possibly the hardest part for me when I miscarried our first baby in January of 2016. The minute that second ...

Q: Did My Baby Die So I Would Become More Holy?

This Q&A series is intended to help you take steps forward in wisdom. Lay your questions before Scripture with us; find in the ashes that wisdom “will place on your head a graceful garland; she will bestow on you a beautiful crown” (Prov. 4:9). What questions about grief, God, or the Bible do you have right now? Contact us here.  In the wake of my son Max’s death, as I was stumbling through my grief, trying to make sense of this great and unexpected loss, I had a friend “encourage” me with a passage of Scripture. “In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, you may have had to suffer ...

Psalm 16 Reflections {Rejoice}

 If you’re new here or haven’t participated before, we’re so glad you joined us! Here’s how it works: To participate in our Psalm 16 Reflections link-up, all you have to do is write on the word or phrase of the week, post your words on your own blog, and link up the post here (via the InLinkz button at the bottom of the post). Be sure to add the actual permalink to your specific post, and not your blog’s homepage (e.g. https://hopemommies.org/psalm-16-reflections and not just hopemommies.org). If you don’t have a blog, you’re welcome to post your reflection in the comments here each week! This is meant to be ...