Foster the FamilySample

Day Three

My Truest Worship

Scripture: Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 68:6; Ephesians 2:10

Foster care is worth it because any day—or life—spent serving precious children is one well spent. Every child is artfully and lovingly handcrafted by the Creator. Before time began, each child was loved and cherished and planned. No past abuse, current struggle, or future prognosis; no gender, race, or ethnicity; no medical diagnosis, mental illness, physical handicap, behavioral issue, or educational classification; nothing, not one thing, nothing steals one ounce of the divine image from a child. No label or prefix or description that marks a young soul as “other” can detract from the inherent worth of a child.

And families are worth it. The family is a theologically rich picture of the Trinity, the church, and the people of God. The family is the divine plan for a human’s physical, emotional, psychological, and relational needs to be met. Playing a part in foster care—in families being healed and reunited—is important work because the family is important.

Finally, foster care is worth it because living for Jesus is always worth it. For me, this is the why of foster care. It’s not the kids or the parents. It’s something—Someone—else completely.

I’m not a foster parent because I know that children need homes or because I believe families should be reunited or because I love adoption. I’m a foster parent because I love Jesus. Because I want my life to be lived in surrender to Him—my days spent in worship of Him.

Others may worship Him as missionaries or teachers or plumbers, but I’ve chosen—rather, I’ve been chosen for—this messy and beautiful work of children and families. And the days when the costs are the greatest are the days when my truest worship is offered. Those are the days when foster care is less about cuddling babies and more about giving myself to my God as a living sacrifice. Because my life is not about what I’m doing for God; it’s about what He has done for me. It’s from this place that I follow Him into what He has called me to do. It’s at this place that the costs all make sense.

God, remind me of Your calling to me. I have many other questions, but ultimately this is all I need to know. Amen.