When Saying Goodbye Breaks Your Heart

“For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”—Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

“Faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”—Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”—James 1:2–4 (ESV)

One baby we fostered weighed three pounds and was in critical condition when we brought her home from the hospital after major life-saving surgery. Just as she was starting to heal and beginning to grow, we got the news that she would soon be going back to her biological parents.

While the goal of fostering is reunification, I’ll never forget the day we had to say goodbye to this little peanut. My daughters and I were sobbing as we held her in our arms for the very last time. It was so painful to watch the tiny life we had physically carried from near-death to life leave our loving home to go to an unknown environment where we worried about her health and well-being. I had to turn and walk away after handing her to the social worker because I couldn’t bear the brokenness we all felt at that moment.

Saying goodbye to this tiny little fighter made me realize that you can’t bring brokenness into your home and not be broken. John DeGarmo, author, speaker, and foster care trainer explains it this way, “After all, we have given all of our hearts and love to a child in need. The unconditional love of a parent—what better gift is there than this for the child?”

Being broken allowed us to rebuild even stronger when we realized that loving a child this sacrificially sounds exactly like what our heavenly Father does for us daily.