Foster Parenting Thoughts

Remember this post? Although we have a baby on the way, we haven't forgotten to pray about what role God wants us to play in the foster parenting and adoption arena. We looked into foster parenting classes here, but ultimately decided to wait until we make our final (well, final for the foreseeable future) move next summer. We're continuing to pray about the children (biological, foster, or adopted) the Lord would bring into our family, and feel that at this time we will pursue becoming licensed foster parents for infants and preschoolers next fall.

A lot of people have asked me if we'll be able to "give a child back," perhaps to a situation we don't think is best.

The answer to that question is another question: Is God sovereign?

To which we say, absolutely. We trust that the Lord has plans for our good, even if we don't ever understand it.

While we would be open to adopting a foster child who became eligible for adoption while in our care, we look at foster parenting as an opportunity to advance Christ's ministry of reconciliation. This is a long passage, but bear with me:

2 Corinthians 5:11-21
"Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. If we are out of our mind, it is for the sake of God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.

So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God."

I'm not sure if this is going to translate well to the written word, but here goes: God is in the reconciliation business. He reconciles our souls to Himself through the blood of His Son. And we hope to reflect that reconciliation pattern in our work with hurting families, in whatever way the Lord can use us.

Sometimes, we hope, there will be happy endings. Mostly we expect a lot of hurt, children going back to bad situations, and things we don't understand.

But if God is really God, if He is really in control, then we'll trust Him to work for our good in all circumstances. We rest in knowing that He is the same - yesterday, today, forever.