A Call to the Inexhaustible

“Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”—2 Corinthians 12:9–10 (ESV)

“Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”—Isaiah 53:4–5 (NIV)

“Consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”—Hebrews 12:3 (NASB)

When there are more foster kids than families to take them in, the kids are sent to shelters. One day, our phone rang and we were asked if we could take a placement. My husband and I were exhausted and our kids were not doing well either. We were taking a break from fostering, so our initial reply was, “No.” But God had another plan.

Sometime after that, I called the agency to make sure all the children had been placed. All of them had been placed in homes except for a 15-month-old baby, who was on his way to a shelter.

It was a terrible time to think about taking in a baby—my husband was working more than usual, and all of our kids were struggling with either physical or emotional issues. I prayed for God to give us wisdom because we didn’t want to make an emotional decision that would end up being a mistake. I opened my Bible and was led to Isaiah 41:10 (NIV), which says, “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

While in my flesh I was terrified to say yes, I knew this was God affirming that He was with us. We brought the baby home and, much to our surprise and delight, Thomas has been a perfect fit for our family. God refreshed us through this little bundle of joy in a season of deep fatigue. When we thought we didn’t have the energy to pour into any more kids, God strengthened us. Thinking of Thomas reminds me that whenever we’re tired and at rock bottom, He gives us His strength.