Kristin Faith Evans is the mother of two beloved children with unrelated, unpredicted rare genetic birth disorders. She’s learned the secret of keeping life filled with joy even when dark clouds threaten.
Kristin Faith Evans knows the secret of keeping life filled with joy.For the last almost 20 years, her daily life abounds with joy AND one challenging, interesting, amazing experience after another. Find her full story here: Dark Place or Mommy Care? Oxygen and Comfort for Mom.
Both Kristen and I remember what it was like to have young children. If you think it’s hard, you’re not crazy.
Most mommies have extra things happening. Fear. Postpartum. Special Needs Kids. Marriage transitions. Financial strain. The list is long. Heck, just household chores can be exhausting!
Folks in the pews at church may feel too intimidated to talk about what they’re facing at home. Maybe the gal sitting next to you feels like she’s drowning, overwhelmed with responsibilities. Or perhaps you feel too sensitive to ask her friend if she’s hurting. Where would you begin a conversation like that?
In this episode, Kristin returns to share much more about how she conquered her depression by setting aside bitterness and training her heart for joy. Plus, a ton more about mental health. I loved how vulnerably she talks. You will, too. No wonder she is a sought after speaker at parenting conferences all across the country. Find her story here. Find more podcasts at Fireside Talk Radio.
God Still Works Miracles
In our last podcast, Kristin shared how grieving, bitterness, depression, trauma, and yes, even PTSD, culminated in a mental health crisis. The chemistry in our body changes when we experience trauma. For more on the impact of trauma on the brain, check out out interview with Judge Carole Clark.
Her crisis created a dark moment for Kristin.
She also shares some of the reasons she didn’t seek help until almost too late. Motherhood can take us to a dark place. Satan, of course, wants to beat us down and destroy us if he can.
Finally, Kristin attempted suicide. Miraculously, Kristin woke up in ICU!
When she told me her doctors said, “It’s a miracle!” I wanted to shout, Amen!
My new friend Kristin IS a miracle. Thank You, God, for intervening and saving this beautiful woman’s life! On behalf of everyone who knows and loves Kristin, thank You, Lord!
As a mental health therapist, Kristen understands all moms need a little compassion. Often it’s especially hard to talk in these sensitive, tender moments.
Walking Toward Sweet Victory
“My therapist basically looked at me and said, ‘You have three choices.’ The choices were you can continue to live miserably, you can attempt suicide again. Or you can learn to embrace and accept your life as it is,” Kristin explains.
Tough love may not always sound like compassion, but truth is freedom.
“I walked away feeling hopeless. Because I’d lost my faith in God. If I didn’t have that, there was not hope for anything else,” she adds.
Fortunately, walking around turned out to be a lifesaver for Kristin, in more ways than one. Find more on prayer walking.
“We had a beautiful state park near our home. So I got out of the house actually and was hiking through the woods.”
Trying to take care of herself, she pushed on. Soon, she arrived at a lake she’d seen countless times in the past.
Hard, Yet Victorious Choices
“But that day the way the light was shimmering off the boulders and the water; it was just gorgeous. It was stunning. I stopped in my tracks and thought, How could God create something that beautiful and not be good? But how could my daughter be suffering and God be good?”
With joy, she describes her experience as “the biggest aha moment” of her life. Clearly, she may never know the answer to that last question, but she made a decision to release herself.
“I’m going to release that need to understand and embrace faith and trust God even though I don’t understand,” she recounts, “And that was the turning moment. You know, it didn’t happen instantaneously. Magically, everything didn’t get better. But that was the moment where I made that choice and that decision to fully dive into my life trusting God for help and strength.”
Then, she adds with a laugh, “And from there, it was a lotta hard work!” READ MORE OF KRISTEN'S WISDOM.
Cathy
May we pray together?
Dear good Father, You love us and stay with us even in the darkest places. Sometimes we don’t even know You’re there. We think You might reject us or forsake us, but You keep loving each of us so much. Unfailing love; that’s Your kind of love. Open our eyes to see Your compassion and mercy in the midst of our circumstances. Help us reach out to others; to be vulnerable and authentic. Give us joy. Strengthen us to claim joy when it seems beyond reach. Give us the courage to reach out and grab the moment’s joys. Teach us to love and laugh with abandon, just like Bethany Grace. And just like Your beautiful Son. In Jesus’s name we pray. Amen.
We LOVE to hear from YOU!
What hilarious things have the kids in your life done this week? When was the last time you took a chance and reached out to someone? How could someone help you today if they only knew?
Cathy Krafve, host of Fireside Talk Radio and author of The Well: The Art of Drawing Out Authentic Conversations and Marriage Conversation: From Coexisting to Cherished. We welcome your stories, ideas, and questions at CathyKrafve.com.
