May marks National Foster Care Month. A precious time to celebrate the parents, family members, foster parents, child welfare and therapeutic professionals, mentors, churches, ministries compelled by mission of caring for the orphan and widow. We also celebrate policymakers and other members of the community who help children and youth in foster care find real hope, homes, and healing connections.
And it all starts with a heart of hospitality.
The Bible speaks of hospitality. We see this when Abraham and Sarah welcome three visitors into their home in Genesis Chapter 18. There’s no advance notice that guests are coming. Yet there’s a welcoming that is extended. Besides food and drink, the invitation ensures guests’ protection during their stay. Even in the New Testament we are commanded by God, “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!” (Hebrews 13:2 NLT).
A Foster Parent’s Yes
Foster care is biblical hospitality. While you received notice that a child needed care, that call often came without a lot of notice. But like Abraham and Sarah, when the opportunity to serve came, your response was “yes!”
I’ve thought about your yes. Never superficially but thinking about the layers that your “yes” represents. Much like a piece of cake that has frosting on it. There’s never just a thin coat of icing. Only the baker knows how many layers of frosting went into making the cake look the way it does. That’s you, that’s your home, that’s your heart. The layers that are involved in how you show up for a child, for a sibling group that entered your heart before they ever entered your home.
Your initial “Yes” was a step of faith. You trusted God. He has continued to build your confidence. His still small voice has beckoned you to care for children in foster care. You recited (Hebrews 11:1 NLT) – “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”
Every day is a fresh experience. Likes and dislikes, communicating with a new group of people who only know your name and don’t know your heart and how you’ve prayed to be faithful to God’s call for you to care for the least of these.
Be Strong and Courageous
In moments when you need to take a deep breath, He guides your footsteps: “Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT).
One sits at the kitchen table while another slips into their running shoes before the house awakens to secure time with the Lord. “I rise early, before the sun is up; I cry out for help and put my hope in your words.” (Psalm 119:147 NLT). It’s a daily reminder that showing hospitality day in and day out cannot be done on an empty tank.
God waits to meet you as you ask Him to fill your reservoir for what you need for the day. He listens intently as you share your heart about the needs in your home, every detail touching the threads and seams of those you care about. Then you hear the Lord remind you He cares for you, and you can ask Him for the rest that He has for your soul — as in, “Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.” (Psalms 62:5 NLT).
Discouragement would try to overtake you when in your singleness you wonder, Lord have I made a mistake? And you hear Him say, “I am, that I am, have called you.” Our faithful God of all Hope reminds you he will “… will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13 NLT).
Your generosity, your kindness, your acts of hospitality are a witness to the faithfulness of our God. “Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” (Hebrews 10:23 NLT).
Take courage, dear foster mom and dad. “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls. It leads us through the curtain into God’s inner sanctuary.” (Hebrews 6:19 NLT)
Dr. Sharen Ford serves as the Director for Foster Care and Adoption at Focus on the Family, a strategic partner of HopeConnectTM, and is as committed as ever to raising awareness regarding the need for every child to have a quality family.
APPLICATION
Transform life’s daily rhythms into extraordinary opportunities for connection by enjoying an Everyday Moments™ activity with your child. Created by Christian therapists and social workers — and tested by parents and caregivers of kids overcoming trauma — our activities are fun-filled and designed to easily fit into your daily routine. Choose one of the many different trauma-informed activities and start playing with your child today — zero to little prep required.
Access the Everyday MomentsTM activities collection now!
