293 | Shaken, But Not Abandoned (Part One) with Kristi Kirk

While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss
293 | Shaken, But Not Abandoned (Part One) with Kristi Kirk
Feb 04, 2026 Episode 293
While We're Waiting® - Hope After Child Loss

When life no longer feels safe or predictable, trust in God can feel fragile.

In this first half of my conversation with Kristi Kirk, we talk about what it means to be shaken to the core by loss—and how faith can be tested, reshaped, and rebuilt in the aftermath.

Kristi shares her story of profound grief, including the sudden death of her husband and, less than two years later, the loss of her 18-year-old son, PK. She speaks honestly about fear, trauma, and the struggle to trust God when life no longer feels secure and the future feels uncertain.

This episode focuses on the early terrain of grief: the shock, the unanswered questions, and the fear that “the next shoe might drop.” Kristi reflects on how losing her assumptions about protection and control led her into a deeper, more honest relationship with God—one marked by lament, transparency, and the slow work of learning to separate feelings from truth.

Rather than offering easy answers, this conversation makes space for grief as it really is, while holding onto the truth that even when our faith feels shaken, God has not abandoned us.

To connect with Kristi, visit her website HERE.  

I would love to hear your thoughts on the show. Click here to send me a message! (Though I read every message, I am unable to respond through this format.)


** IMPORTANT** - All views expressed by guests on this podcast are theirs alone, and may not represent the Statement of Faith and Statement of Beliefs of the While We're Waiting ministry.

We'd love for you to connect with us here at While We're Waiting!

Click HERE to visit our website and learn about our free While We're Waiting Weekends for bereaved parents

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Contact Jill by email at: jill@whilewerewaiting.org

Episode Artwork 293 | Shaken, But Not Abandoned (Part One) with Kristi Kirk 33:03 Episode Artwork 292 | A Life Worth Living (Part Two) with Ken and Mary Sue Grein 36:50 Episode Artwork 291 | A Life Worth Living (Part One) with Ken and Mary Sue Grein 45:48 Episode Artwork 290 | When the House Grows Quiet (Part Two) with Dawn Helms 27:23 Episode Artwork 289 | When the House Grows Quiet (Part One) with Dawn Helms 29:51 Episode Artwork 288 | Grace for the Year Ahead 11:22 Episode Artwork 287 | Five Gifts for Broken Hearts 11:04 Episode Artwork 286 | When Christmas Feels Broken 31:21 Episode Artwork 285 | "GodPrints" in the Shattered Pieces (Part Two) with Jenny Leavitt 31:42 Episode Artwork 284 | "Godprints" In the Shattered Pieces (Part One) with Jenny Leavitt 31:25 Episode Artwork 283 | When God Holds the Thread (Part Two) with Debra Amick 32:34 Episode Artwork 282 | When God Holds the Thread (Part One) with Debra Amick 30:29 Episode Artwork 281 | The Valley and the Shepherd with Meshea Ingram 48:51 Episode Artwork 280 | We Are Held with Cheri Fletcher 43:01 Episode Artwork 279 | An Immeasurable Love with Cindy Shufflebarger 51:10 Episode Artwork 278 | Marking Time With Hope 25:01 Episode Artwork 277 | A Dad's Journey to Hope (Part Two) with Terry Sternad 33:06 Episode Artwork 276 | A Dad's Journey to Hope (Part One) with Terry Sternad 32:53 Episode Artwork 275 | He Will Hold You Fast (Part Two) with Julie South 40:16 Episode Artwork 274 | He Will Hold You Fast (Part One) with Julie South 54:25 Episode Artwork 273 | Redeeming the Broken Pieces with Kim Allison 1:08:33 Episode Artwork 272 | Tiny Cradle, Eternal Impact (Part Two) with Ashley Opliger 27:58 Episode Artwork 271 | Tiny Cradle, Eternal Impact (Part One) with Ashley Opliger 32:19 Episode Artwork 270 | God Was There (Part Two) with Kelly Uribe 49:03 Episode Artwork 269 | God Was There (Part One) with Kelly Uribe 53:29