Kristen Welch

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The Question I’ve Been Afraid to Ask

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“Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, suffering, and injustice when He could do something about it.”

“Well, why don’t you ask Him?”

“Because I’m afraid He would ask me the same question.”

(Anonymous) -a quote from A Hole in the Gospel, by Richard Stearn, President of World Vision.

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God is changing me.

 
I haven’t arrived at some super spiritual place or been given a blueprint to change the world. Frankly, I’m a mess on the inside.
 
(As is my house and, oh, the laundry, people. Apparently having your heart wrecked creates more housework).
 
But I’ve heard God specializes in messy people.
 
During the past week, I’ve experienced The Ugly Cry more than I’d like to admit. (I was tempted to even live in my garage, naked, like a friend of mine was after returning from one of his first overseas trips, but thought that might be scary for the neighbors and my children).
 
 
Instead, I’ve prayed and I’ve let Truth invade me. I can see clearly that I’ve become like my culture, living for myself, my family. Wasting a lot of time and money on things that simply don’t matter to me anymore. Choosing ignorance over truth. Pretending poverty wasn’t my problem or my responsibility.
 
I’ve asked God to reveal a new normal, to take this personal revelation and my everyday life and mix them together, creating something entirely different. And I’ve given Him the heavy burden that comes with such a revelation. His burden is easy and His yoke is light, so it’s a pretty good exchange for me.
 
My husband? He was a mess while I was in Kenya, letting God do a good work in him. Turns out we just make a giant mess together!
 
What does all this look like practically?
 
Well. Less for us, more for others. We had a family meeting and talked openly with our kids. We asked their opinions, talked about Matthew 25:31 and what that might mean for our family. (It’s also probably not a coincidence that after working diligently to be debt free, as of this week, we don’t have a car payment anymore. We just didn’t know God already had plans for that money.)
 
Children are amazing. They voiced their own ideas and concerns and thoughts. I think they naturally want to give, they just usually follow the lead of their parents. Ouch.
 
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So. This week, I got up the nerve and asked God, “Why do you allow poverty, suffering, and injustice when You could do something about it.”
 
And He asked me the same question.

 

 

I’m working on the answer.

 

**The Compassion Blog is such an outstanding resource for sponsors. I wanted to pass it along since I’m learning so much from all the articles!

DIYP-ReCreating a Patio Table

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We love being in our backyard. I use it like an extra room in our house, nearly year round. It's like a giant playroom. Only it has more ants. I bought our patio table and chairs at WalMart several years ago when they marked down the leftovers. I got a fantastic deal on the set (75%) off, even though a glass table wasn't my preference, it has served us well. Unfortunately, the metal edging has rusted. Our budget mocked me when I hinted at a new table. I asked my hubby if we ... Read More

Setting the Tone of Your Home

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Our home is a busy place. It's noisy and bustling, sometimes dirty, always lived-in. It's not cold, chaotic or controlled. It's warm and welcoming and imperfect. My hubby and I work very hard to set the tone of our home. We have made conscious choices to create a healthy atmosphere for our family. The other night before bed, we were reading Moments With You: Daily Connections for Couples together. In it, Donna Otto, founder of Homemakers by Choice, writes, "parents are not called ... Read More

It Happened to Me

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Something scary happened last week. It left me shaken. I didn't plan on blogging about it.  I didn't know if I could. But all week, I've wondered if my story could save a child's life. A child like mine. My toddler nearly choked to death at a restaurant. Now, I joked when I wrote a letter to Mr. Heimlich. And Lord knows, we've had our fair share of THAT family moments, but what I'm going to tell you is not funny and I cannot make light of it. I joined my parents for an ... Read More

A Love Letter to My Husband

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My Dear Husband, When I was a little girl, I played make believe. I pretended to cook and clean and to be a Momma to my baby dolls. (I did not role play walking around WalMart with a screaming toddler, because there are some things that you must experience to truly appreciate). But in my naive mind, I imagined a man, a husband.  He was brave and strong and very handsome.  And he loved me. It was a dream. And some might call this a silly fairy tale or the immature longings of a ... Read More

The Nest

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We are having some serious hair care needs.My toddler has fine baby hair that is slightly curly.  I wash it regularly and comb it daily. Promise. But this is what happens:Within minutes, it gets snarled, fuzzy and tangled.  I have to comb thru knots.I affectionately refer to it as the nest.  Because if a bird got a good look at it, well, let's just say, my daughter would be sportin' some twigs and leaves in her hair.  I'm just sayin'.So, dear internets, can you help a vain Mom out?  Should I cut ... Read More

Sweet Tea

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Some people have never tried southern sweet tea. : ::crickets:: : Yes, I was giving you a moment of silence. - In honor of the Southern ways, I will try to redeem this by introducing you to sweet tea. Sweet tea is heavy on the sweet.  It requires mass amounts of sugar.  It's like pancake syrup, without the pancake or syrup (just the sugar).  Down here in the South, when we say sweet, we mean sweet.  Okay, ya’ll? Boil a pot of water and remove from heat. Place 6 ... Read More