I think I'm a pretty passionate person. Maybe not overtly so, at least not right away when you meet me for the first time. But if you know me, I mean really know me, you know that God has really laid some specific things on my heart-one being this pursuit of the work God has called me to do. I call it my life's purpose.
My purpose, I think from God's perspective, has never changed. I believe that he has created me passionate about children from the beginning for a reason. My perception of it, however, has evolved greatly since college. From my perspective, living out God's will for my life, my hands, my feet, my knowledge-it's all a beautiful masterpiece, a creation if you will, of timing, events, relationships and other things I'm sure I know nothing about. And over it all is God. In all His glory. Do not misunderstand-I am no where near God. I am not close to anything he could sneeze into existence. Rather, it is his intricate plan that reflects his goodness and leaves me in awe.
Ok, enough poems, let's talk the tangible. I work in foster care. I read case after case of despicable horrific and unspeakable things that children-babies in utero through 18-have been exposed to. I get calls of social workers trying to place 6, yes, 6 siblings all in homes at the end of the day. I see kids with terrible behavior and know that the reason they're throwing things, biting, kicking, screaming, crying, pulling out their own hair even, is because they have been exposed to things you and I never will. Or worse, they've been a part of it. They don't always just witness the domestic violence, sometimes they are the victim. I see the darkest part of the world-in my mind-when I see the child that has been changed negatively because of their circumstance. People often think adopting is all about picking out the "perfect kid" to grow their family. While I don't want to be pessimistic...that is just not reality. Fostering is no walk in the park. These kids come with issues, and some more than others. But I don't think it takes a "strong" or "perfect" family to foster. I think it takes a shift in perspective.
What if you saw it as your problem? What if together we acknowledged that our community-no matter where you live-needs to do something to protect children? How could you change the life of a child? I know this sounds like a commercial you've seen before with the terrible pictures, the flies, the tears, the unsanitary conditions...but really. What are you doing to protect children? You don't have to work for an FFA like me. You don't even have to post anything on Facebook if you don't want to. What if it was as simple as being aware of the children around you? What if you knew your child was friends with a foster child and you invited them over for dinner and got to know them? What if you looked out for those kids? What if you prayed for them? These are all very simple tasks that really don't take much effort on your part, but can make a huge difference in the life of one child.
Or...just throwing it out there...you could open your home to a child. "WOAH Andrea! Those kids have issues, behaviors, they cry and get angry! In my home?!" Why not? God has invited you into his house, and you have issues, behaviors (some WAY worse than a child's!!), you cry, you get angry...what's the difference? The difference is action to the call. Even Jesus himself came for the lowly, the poor, the prostitutes, the exiled, the sick-and I'm not talking about the flu sick, the sick as in demon possessed, blind beggars, people with disgusting skin diseases that were highly contagious! And he loved them. You know who else he loved? Children.
It's true, I'm passionate about specific things. But what would passion be if it weren't passed on? Not nearly as powerful I think. It's time to start taking a Godly perspective in what we do, and let's start with taking care of God's children.
What you have done for the least of these, you have done for me. ~Jesus
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