37 results for tag: Stephanie

A Song for My Soul: Trust in You

Music has the ability to speak into the deepest recesses of our hearts. God often uses songs to speak hope and encouragement to our souls. In this series, Hope Moms share songs that have pointed them to the hope of Christ in the midst of their grief. Is there a song that has comforted you in your grief? We'd love to have you share your story here. Facebook. Such a frenemy. You love it because it lets you stay connected with friends and family, notifies you about events in your area, and allows you to share endless photos of your kid, dog, or what you ate for dinner. But you also hate it. When you see those pregnancy/birth announcements, and ...

Eternal Family

“Imagine a priceless vase or ornament is dropped on the floor and smashed to pieces. The woman who loved it kneels down. She picks up the pieces, one by one. She looks at each one in detail, turning it round, as if to remember where it once belonged. The vase was loved and so when it was shattered, every piece was worth picking up, no matter how small. A grieving person will often want to talk about the smallest detail of their loss. It is as if every broken piece is taken up and wept over. When you listen, you may feel that the detail was small, but it is part of something that was supremely valued, part of something dearly loved” (Colin ...

You Are a Warrior; You Can Be Happy Again

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. When my daughter died, I couldn't imagine being happy again. It was like something in me had died on that awful day in February 2011. Something called joy. I resigned myself to the fact that a dark cloud would always be overhead, the sun would forever seem dim, ...

Q: Is It Un-Christian to Grieve?

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.  When I first looked at this question, my automatic reaction was: No. Definitely not. But as I thought and prayed about it, my answer changed to both “no” and “yes.” While it's not un-Christian to grieve, it is un-Christian to grieve in the way the world grieves. We'll be ...

Psalm 16 Reflections {Chosen Portion}

 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 ...

Hope for the Holidays {Hope Came Down}

How can I feel joy when I'm just so sad?  How can I enjoy Christmas when my baby was suppose to be here?  How do I go on when my heart is broken?  I hear you, sweet mommas, and I understand. On December 21st, my daughter will turn 6. There will be no trip to the American Doll store. We won't go get her first pedicure. She won't unwrap any presents. We've never done any of those things because Kinley has celebrated every birthday in heaven. So, I will do what I do every year--I will make pink cupcakes. I will sing happy birthday. And I will miss my sweet girl. Then 4 days later, we will celebrate Christmas, and her stocking will hang empty, ...

Identity: We Are Loved

Love stories. We've read them in books. We've watched them on tv and movies. We are drawn to the romance, the passion, the security. We long to know that true love exists and that it exists for us. That need for love, to feel loved, is in every person. The key is to make sure that the love that defines us is from the right source. In order to embrace our identity of "loved," we need to know where love is not found. Love is not based on appearance. Your hair, your skin, your weight, those things don't earn you love.  When we look in the mirror, we all see things we'd like to change. But what does God see? "The LORD does not look at the things ...