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In this episode, Ashley shares the heart of the Christian faith and the unshakable hope grieving moms have in Jesus. In Chapter 3 of Cradled in Hope, “The Gospel Changes Everything: When You Are Desperate for Hope,” Ashley walks through the full Gospel message—from creation to restoration—and shows how it directly speaks to the pain of being separated from our babies. In our grief, the Gospel isn’t just comforting—it’s everything. It’s the only hope strong enough to anchor us when we’re desperate for answers, for meaning, and for reunion.

With theological clarity and compassionate understanding, Ashley reminds listeners that death is not the end of the story. Because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, we can have confidence that we will see our babies again. She explains the Gospel simply and beautifully, extending an invitation to believe—or believe again—that Jesus alone has conquered sin and death. This chapter is a powerful turning point in the book club, grounding our grief in the greatest news ever told.

In this episode, Ashley shared:

• Her most painful moment of separation from Bridget, and how that moment pointed her to the hope of reunion through Jesus
• Why our grief makes sense in the context of the fall—and how the Gospel is the only remedy for the brokenness we feel
• A clear, simple explanation of the Gospel and its four-part story: Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration
• The bad news of sin and Hell—and why we need to understand this in order to grasp the beauty of the Good News
• How Jesus’ sacrifice saves us from eternal separation and secures our place with our babies in Heaven
• Why believing in Jesus is as simple as confessing with your mouth and believing in your heart (Romans 10:9–10)
• The promise that one day, we will be reunited with our children in glorified bodies on a restored earth
• A loving invitation for any listener who has not placed their faith in Jesus to do so today

Ashley invites each listener to reflect on the beauty of the Gospel—not just as a theological idea, but as the most personal and powerful truth we can cling to in our grief. Jesus changes everything, and His resurrection gives us the promise of our own—and of seeing our babies again.

Journaling Prompt
Jesus saved us from an eternity apart from Him. Write a prayer of gratitude for His gift of salvation, and thank Him for the hope He gives you to spend eternity with Him and your baby. If you haven’t yet placed your faith in Him, reflect on what’s holding you back—and consider writing your own prayer of surrender.

Healing Step
Read one of the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion: Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, or John 19. Reflect on the depth of His suffering, the cost of our redemption, and the love that held Him there—for you, and for your baby.

Full transcript below.

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EPISODE TRANSCRIPT

Ashley Opliger: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Cradled in Hope Podcast Book Club.

I’m your host, Ashley Opliger—grieving mom, author of Cradled in Hope, and founder of Bridget’s Cradles. I’m so honored to walk with you through my book, one chapter at a time, as we navigate the heartbreak of losing a baby together.

After my daughter Bridget went to Heaven at 24 weeks, I wrestled with deep sadness and complex questions about God’s goodness. But through that grief, Jesus showed me that He not only cradles our babies in Heaven, He also holds our broken hearts here on earth.

Whether you’re reading along or simply listening in, this is a safe space for your sorrow—a place where your tears, questions, and raw emotions are welcome. Each episode, we’ll reflect on a chapter of Cradled in Hope and gently walk together from heartbreak to healing, and from pain to purpose.

My prayer is that this podcast will remind you that you are not alone in your grief and, most importantly, that it will point you to Jesus, the only One who can truly heal your heart. Through faith in Him, there is hope to see your baby again, and He will be with you every step from here to Heaven.

So wherever you are in your journey, I invite you to join me—and together, we will grieve with hope.

Let’s begin.

Ashley Opliger: [00:01:21] Hi friends. Welcome back. Today we are diving into Chapter Three, The Gospel Changes Everything: When You Are Desperate For Hope.

[00:01:31] As you can tell from the title, this chapter is about the Gospel, and this is so important for me to address at the beginning of the book because the Gospel really does change everything.

[00:01:40] When you’ve lost a precious baby, you are now separated from them. Death has caused a temporary separation. And so I start this chapter talking about that moment when I was separated from Bridget, not only from death, but also in the flesh. 

[00:01:54] And I don’t know what moment it was for you that was the hardest moment of delivering a baby that’s already in Heaven. But for me, after Bridget was born, she was already in the arms of Jesus. We had about 24 hours to hold her in her cradle, and we just got to love on her. We sang songs to her. We spent the night, and then the next morning we had to give her to the funeral home.

[00:02:16] And giving her away and having to be physically separated from her body, even though I was already separated from her soul, that she had already gone to Heaven, this moment for me of handing her over and being separated from her just felt so final.

[00:02:31] And so I don’t know what that moment was for you, whether it was burying your baby and having to pour fresh dirt on their grave, or if you had an early miscarriage having to flush the toilet, these moments are just so traumatic and so painful, and they feel so final. They feel as though this is the end of our relationship with our baby.

[00:02:51] It may feel that way, but it’s not that way. This chapter really talks about the Gospel and how this separation that death has caused is temporary. We will get to be with our babies again. And so I use the separation between us and our babies as a backdrop to start talking about the bigger picture of the Gospel and how the Gospel really is about separation and reunion as well. 

[00:03:15] I summarize the Gospel throughout this chapter. I also have an Appendix where I just lay out the Gospel in very simple terms, for those who may have not heard it or just need a reminder of the overarching story and redemptive plan that God has for His Creation.

[00:03:30] I talk about how, in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve had listened to the serpent and had chose to disobey God’s command, which was not to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. There were all these other trees in the Garden of Eden that He had supplied for them, and they could have eaten anything in the Garden, but they chose to disobey God and they ate at the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and this caused separation. 

[00:03:57] And so you can read all about the Fall in Genesis 3, but when they ate of the fruit and sin entered the world, that is when death entered. You hear of the first sacrifice in the Bible when God clothed Adam and Eve with the skin of the first animal sacrifice. That’s Genesis 3:21, and that really is the first mention of death in the Bible. An animal had to be sacrificed in order to clothe Adam and Eve. 

[00:04:25] Later in the New Testament, Paul confirms that death is the consequence of sin in Romans 6:23. The reason that sin separates us from God is because God is so holy He cannot tolerate to be in the presence of sin. 

[00:04:40] In Habakkuk 1:13, it says His “eyes are too pure to look on evil”. And so because He is a just God and He’s a holy God, He has to punish sin. And so that’s really bad news. Right?

[00:04:53] And you’ve probably heard the Gospel as the Good News, and so there can’t be good news without bad news. And so in my chapter, I talk about the bad news. 

[00:05:03] The bad news is that there is sin and death in the world, because of Adam and Eve and because we are sinful humans that have gone astray. And the bad news is also that sin must be punished and sin cannot be in the presence of a good and holy God. 

[00:05:18] And so there is a very real and physical place called Hell, and a lot of people don’t like to talk about Hell. And honestly, I don’t enjoy talking about Hell, but if we share the Good News of Jesus and the fact that He’s our Savior and we get to spend eternity in Heaven with Him, that He’s giving us eternal life, if we share that without what He’s actually saving us from, we lose the value of what He did on the cross and what He’s saving us from. 

[00:05:46] And so I do talk about Hell in my book, because I think so many pastors and just people in general talk about the Good News of the Gospel, but don’t actually talk about what it is that makes it so good. 

[00:05:59] It’s not just that we get to go to Heaven, it’s that we’re saved from Hell and we’re saved from our sin and we’re saved from being eternally separated from God, our Creator. And so I talk about the fact that there’s bad news. 

[00:06:11] The bad news is that sin has caused separation between us and God. This separation can feel absolutely suffocating. This is what is so painful about losing a baby, is that we are not in their presence, and we had planned to raise them and to love them and to be with them and hug and kiss them and enjoy them, but we can’t because they’re not with us right now.

[00:06:31] And although I do share the bad news, I share the Good News. In fact, it’s the solution to the bad news. And so as I share more about the bad news. I want you to know that good news is coming. When people say, “Do you want to hear the bad news or the good news first?”, a lot of times people want to hear the bad news first.

[00:06:49] And I’m going to share the bad news first, but it’s always helpful to know that there is good news and that the good news is a solution to the bad news. In this situation, Jesus is the solution to death. He is our Savior from eternity and Hell. And so I’m going to talk a little bit about Hell, because that is the consequence of being eternally separated from Him. 

[00:07:11] Matthew described this place as a place of “outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30. Mark said this is a place “where the fire never goes out.” Mark 9:43. And of course we read in Revelation about the lake of fire where Satan and his demons will be thrown and cast out for eternity. And so these are obviously very scary things to talk about. It’s horrifying to talk about Hell.

[00:07:38] But because of Jesus’ sacrifice and His free gift of salvation, sinners don’t have to go there. If you believe in Jesus, you will go to Heaven and you’ll be saved from your sin and death cannot separate you. 

[00:07:51] And so my opening verse in this chapter is Romans 10:9-10, “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”

[00:08:10] And friends, that is the simple Gospel. There is nothing else required to be saved. Jesus, by His grace, saves you, and it is through faith in Him that you are justified. And so simply believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead and professing that with your mouth, that is literally all that you have to do to believe in Him [and be saved]. 

[00:08:30] You are not saved by works. You are saved by grace through faith. Because we are not worthy and we cannot save ourselves, we will never be able to measure up to God’s holy standards. Jesus is God’s redemption plan to restore a broken Creation and humanity to Himself. 

[00:08:45] And so I talk about the simple Gospel, and you may have heard of explaining the Bible’s overarching story. It’s also known as the metanarrative of Scripture. A lot of theologians break it into four parts, which is Creation, Fall, Redemption, and Restoration. 

[00:09:00] And so I’m going to go back to the Appendix in the back of my book, and I’m going to just give you a very simple overview of the Gospel. 

[00:09:08] Creation is that God created Heaven, earth, and everything on the earth, including animals and humans, in a literal six days. On the seventh day, He rested. And then God walked alongside the first humans, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.

[00:09:21] And so you hear in Genesis 3:8, it says, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the Garden.” So, friends, He was walking with Adam and Eve in the beginning. And I want you to just remember that because as we get to the fourth part of the metanarrative of Scripture in the Gospel, we’re going to be walking with Him again on a restored earth.

[00:09:45] He created us in His image, and He desired to live forever with His Creation in His presence. However, as we’ve already discussed, the second part of the metanarrative of Scripture is the Fall, and so that’s what we’ve already talked about when Adam and Eve, who were representing all mankind, disobeyed God’s command and rejected God, and that is known as sin. Any rejection of God is known as sin, and its consequence is death and eternal separation from Him. 

[00:10:10] And so as you read the Old Testament, you’ll see that God attempted to restore a relationship with His chosen people, the Jews, through the covenants. But the Jews, and humanity in general, also known as the Gentiles, continued to disobey God.

[00:10:24] And God gave the Israelites laws. You’ve most likely heard of the 10 Commandments. And so there was this Old Covenant where God was requiring the Israelites to make sacrifices of animals for their sins. However, people kept rejecting His commands and following after false gods.

[00:10:39] And essentially, there was just no way for humans to make it right, to reconcile their relationship with a good and perfect God. So the third in the story is Redemption, and that is when God sent His one and only Son, Jesus, to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity’s sins.

[00:10:55] Because Jesus was perfect and sinless, He was the only one who could truly atone for our sins and His death and resurrection fulfilled the New Covenant, which was prophesied in the days of the Old Covenant. And His own life was what reconciled us to the Father. And so anyone who believes in Him will be saved and live forever with Him.

[00:11:14] And so we are now redeemed, but we still live in this broken world in broken bodies. So the fourth and final category is Restoration, and that’s the fact that Jesus is coming back. We were redeemed when He came the first time. He put on flesh, became a human, and died on the cross for us, and was raised on the third day from the grave.

[00:11:32] But Restoration is when He comes back again. And at the resurrection, He will give us glorified immortal bodies, and He will one day defeat Satan and judge the wicked, and death and evil will be no more. And we will live with Him forever on the New Earth, and essentially Creation will be restored to its Eden state.

[00:11:49] And so this is what I love. Remember when I talked about how the Lord God was walking in the Garden [of Eden] with Adam and Eve? His final plan is to be with us on the New Earth forever and dwelling with Him. 

[00:12:01] I love this verse from Revelation 21:3. This is when John is describing what the New Earth will be like. He says, “God’s dwelling place is now among the people and He will dwell with them. They will be His people and God Himself will be with them and be their God.” 

[00:12:16] And so as it was in the beginning, it will be at the end. And that is just so exciting to me that God’s original plan to be with His people in the flesh, walking amongst them, is the final plan that we will have. And we will have glorified, immortal bodies, and so will our babies. 

[00:12:32] And I talk about why I believe that babies are saved in later chapters, and we’re going to dive deep into that later. I just want to assure you that the Good News of the Gospel is the solution for the grief that you are experiencing.

[00:12:46] It is the solution for the problem of death, and Jesus is the only One that can offer that. There’s no other person that has defeated death, no other person who can save us from the pits of Hell. Jesus said, “I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades,” Revelation 1:18. Jesus is the Good News. 

[00:13:10] And I know you’re thinking, “Wow, this was a lot. You’re talking a lot about the Gospel and a lot about Jesus.” And I want to say this is so important, friends, because if I don’t address this in my book, and I don’t lay this foundation of who He is, in fact the next chapter is called A Firm Foundation, where I really talk about Jesus and why I believe He is who He said He is, that He is the promised Messiah, because friends, if He is not who He said He is, and He did not defeat death, then we have absolutely no hope in our grief. And obviously, I don’t believe that to be true. 

[00:13:42] I believe that He is who He said He is and that He was raised from the grave and that one day He’s going to raise our babies from their graves. And if they were cremated, He’s going to bring their ashes back together into a glorified body, and if you didn’t have their remains, if you miscarried and you never were able to bury your baby or cremate your baby, that the Lord is going to bring their remains together into a glorified body and you will see your baby in the flesh. Your child will live forever with you on the New Earth.

[00:14:12] And this is the Good News of the Gospel, that we have the promise of eternity with our children, that the separation that we are facing right now is temporary. And I know I keep saying that over, and I know that might seem repetitive, but that is the premise of my entire book. Because without that, there’s really nothing else for me to say, because Jesus is the foundation that I’m laying my entire book of hope, Cradled in Hope.

[00:14:38] We hope you’re finding encouragement in this episode so far. We want to take a moment to share some resources our ministry offers to support grieving moms like you.

On our website, bridgetscradles.com, you’ll learn more about our nonprofit and find many hope-filled resources, including free e-books to help you plan a memorial or funeral service for your baby, meaningful ways to honor your baby in your heart and home, and gentle guidance for navigating difficult days like due dates, Heaven Days, and holidays.

We invite you to join our community of grieving moms through our Christ-centered support groups, offered both in-person at our headquarters near Wichita, Kansas, and virtually through Hope Online. These gatherings provide a place to find comfort, connection, and biblical hope alongside other moms who understand your pain.

You can view upcoming dates and sign up on our website. While you’re there, we’d also be honored for you to share your baby’s story with us.

For ongoing support, we welcome you to join our private Cradled in Hope Facebook group—a safe space for grieving moms to find friendship and walk their healing journey together.

To stay connected with us and receive faith-filled encouragement, follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @bridgetscradles, @cradledinhope, and my personal page @ashleyopliger. 

Now, let’s get back to the episode.

And so I conclude this chapter with a subtitle, Our Only Hope, and I say, “Oh, what a glorious hope we have in Jesus. The tomb is empty. Death has been defeated. The Gospel is not just Good News, but amazing news for those who accept God’s free gift of salvation.” 

[00:15:57] And just reminding you that salvation is shockingly simple, you just believe in your heart and you confess with your mouth. That’s it. There’s nothing more, nothing less. And God is a merciful God who longs for “all to be saved,” 1 Timothy 2:4.

[00:16:27] And so I talk about how there’s a sad reality that there are some parents who will never get to meet their babies in Heaven. And it’s not because I don’t believe that babies aren’t in Heaven. And I share biblical reasons why I believe babies are saved in Chapter Five, and we’ll talk about that.

[00:16:40] But it’s because there are some parents who do not place their faith in Christ, and that is such a heartbreaking reality. And honestly, that spurs me to share the Gospel. It’s why I’m sharing the Gospel right now over this podcast and in my book, because I desire for all parents to one day meet their babies in Heaven and spend eternity with Jesus, because He is “the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him,” John 14:6. I say there’s no other option, no other religion, no other name by which we can be saved, Acts 4:12. 

[00:17:13] And so I want to conclude with the lyrics to one of my favorite hymns, Amazing Grace. The last stanza says, “When we’ve been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we’d first begun.”

[00:17:26] And I think this is just such a beautiful picture of where we’re headed, that one day we are going to be in the presence of Jesus, walking with Him on the New Earth with our babies, in our glorified bodies, and we will never die again. 

[00:17:39] Death will be no more. Sin will be no more. And after 10,000 years with our children, there’ll be another 10,000 years and another 10,000 years, and it will go on without an end. There’s going to be no end to time, and we’ll never have to fear being separated from our babies again. 

[00:17:54] And so I just want you to imagine what that’s going to be like, what an amazing hope we have to be with our children forever, and that all we have to do is believe. And so I conclude this chapter with just an invitation to believe in Him. 

[00:18:09] And if you are listening to this and you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus, I just want to encourage you that it is the best decision that you will ever make, and that there is no sin that you’ve committed that makes you too far gone for Him to forgive you and to bring you into relationship with Him. 

[00:18:26] And so whatever it is that’s holding you back from making that decision, I just want you to know that Jesus will make you a new creation, and there’s no better time than now to believe in Him. You are not too far gone. You’re not too dirty or too messed up. He came to save sinners. He died for you. And “as far as the east is from the west so far has He removed your transgressions from you,” Psalm 103:12. 

[00:18:49] Nothing can separate you from His love. Romans 8:38-39. And so I want you to know how much Jesus loves you, that He desires to bring you into a relationship with Him and His Father. 

[00:19:01] And I can promise you that walking with Him through this trial of losing your baby and through the rest of your life, and knowing that you have the secure hope and salvation to be with Him forever, it is the best decision of your life. And I pray that the Gospel will change your life and change everything for you. 

[00:19:19] I am going to give you the Time With Jesus journaling prompt for this chapter, and it’s that Jesus saved us from an eternity in Hell apart from Him, and I want you to write a prayer of gratitude for His gift of salvation and thank Him for the hope He gives us to spend eternity with Him and our babies in Heaven. 

[00:19:36] And if you haven’t placed your faith in Him, I want you to reflect on what’s holding you back. And if the Lord is prompting you to place your faith, I want you to just say a simple prayer to Him, telling Him you believe in Him and that you want to follow Him. And write about that, and maybe even write a prayer, asking Him to be your Lord and Savior. 

[00:19:54] And then the Healing Step is that I want you to read one of the accounts of Jesus’ crucifixion in the Gospels. And you can find that in Matthew 27. Mark 15, Luke 23, or John 19. I just think it’s so important to understand the full extent of what Jesus endured on the cross on our behalf, to really understand the Gospel, that Jesus had to sacrifice His life and a gruesome and painful death to save us.

[00:20:20] And so I just encourage you to open your Bible and read one of those accounts in the Gospels, for you to have a full understanding of His love and His grace and His mercy. 

[00:20:28] I want to close us in prayer now. 

Jesus. I thank You so much for the Good News of the Gospel.

I thank You that although we went astray and that as humans, we have sinned against You, not only in the Garden, but we continue to sin against You, but Lord, I thank You that You came and You made a way to make us right with You and Your Father, that You became the good and perfect sacrifice on our behalf. 

Because there was nothing that we could do, no animal sacrifice, no amount of good works that we could ever do to measure up to Your holiness. And so I thank You, Lord, that You made a way. I thank You, Lord, that You were the sacrifice needed to bring us back to You. 

Thank You for redeeming us. Thank You for restoring us and for the hope that You’re coming back for us, and one day we will participate in the resurrection, as will our babies, and we will be given glorified, immortal bodies, and we will live with You and our children in the flesh on the New Earth in a restored Eden. 

And Lord, I just thank You; that Gospel, it changes everything for us and it gives us the hope that our souls are longing for, which is to be reunited with our babies. We are missing them so badly right now, Lord. And I thank You that the grave is not the end. Death is not the end of our story and our baby’s story, Lord, that we have a reunion that’s coming and it’s going to be amazing and glorious. 

So thank You for the Good News of the Gospel. Thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus. Thank You for walking with us through our grief and giving us hope in the midst of our sorrow. We love You, Lord Jesus. It’s in Your Name we pray. Amen.

[00:22:01] Be sure to tune in for the next episode, which will cover Chapter Four, A Firm Foundation: When You Wrestle With Doubts.

[00:22:08] Thank you for joining me for today’s episode of the Cradled in Hope Podcast Book Club.

New episodes covering each chapter of the book will release on the 1st, 15th, and 22nd of each month through the end of the year—so be sure to subscribe and follow along.

If you don’t have your copy of Cradled in Hope, you can find it wherever books are sold. It’s a biblical guide for grieving moms after miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss—filled with vulnerable emotion, biblical wisdom, practical guidance, and hope-filled encouragement.

To accompany the book, I’ve also created the Cradled in Hope Guided Journal—a beautiful companion that includes space to write your responses to the discussion questions, full Scripture passages from each chapter, and additional reflection pages and guided charts to help you process your grief and draw you closer to Jesus. You can download the free digital version on my author website at AshleyOpliger.com/Journal, or order the printed version on Amazon if you prefer to write by hand.

Until next time, know that you are not alone. You are seen, loved, and Cradled in Hope.