Saturday, July 6, 2013

Why are you waiting?

I know we are working on adoption, but our adopted child we are praying for comes from the pool of fostering. You always hear that the need is so great, and maybe you've even thought to yourself that you'd like to do that someday. When your kids are grown, when you change houses, maybe after you have a child of your own first. These are all legitimate concerns. Afterall, the point of fostering is to give the best opportunity for that child to thrive while they are away from biological families. But I'd like to pose the question: Why are you waiting?

I hear so often that people want to get involved, or they'd like to someday. Heck, I've said that plenty of times in my life that one day I'd like to foster or adopt. What stopped me were those same reasons: housing, timing, wanting a child. And that's okay for a time. But I'd like to encourage you if it's ever been on your heart- consider it sooner. Consider taking the courses and then deciding whether you feel called to it. Consider taking your first child, and then consider whether you'd do it again. (More times than not, foster parents say that it might have been a lot of heartache, but they'd do it again in a second!) I just want to encourage you to take the journey- to start the process if God has ever laid this upon your heart. Because there are SO many children out there that don't feel loved, that feel abandoned, and they are scared.

I never felt such a strong urgency for this until I took this training portion today and they gave us numbers. Statistical numbers that show how many children are being abused, how many are being neglected, and how many are suffering at the feelings of invalidness and lack of want. Did you know that 1 in 8 children placed in foster care are STILL being abused? Christians unite!,  and CHANGE these statistics. 1 in 8 is more than I want on the data!!! Oklahoma ranks in the top states for children in government custody. The more children that need temporary homes means that we need more Christian parents and single people willing to love a child for a season but pray for them for a lifetime.

Sometimes, it's not your calling and that's okay. There are other ways to get involved. Volunteer at shelters, love those children that think they are unlovable. Go to the Waiting Child of the Heart Gallery of OKlahoma website, look at those children and pick one to be in prayer for every day. One you will never see in your life, but you can intercede for their souls.

You can still make a difference.


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