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Foster Care

1 Sam. 16:7
…“Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”

Upon first sight, children coming into care often elicit compassion rather than inspiration.  They may show up to your home looking sheepish with bruises, dirty & torn clothes, shoeless, and in dire need of a few good meals.  The statistics for their success after care can be even more discouraging.  1 in 5 become homeless after 18.  Only ½ are employed by the age of 24, and less than 3% earn college degrees. 

When Samuel was tasked with finding a new king for Israel he became over focused on outward appearance and the likelihood of success.  He almost anointed the wrong brother before God corrected him and told him that he judged by the heart, not the outward appearance.  The result of this correction was King David, who’s known for uniting the tribes, expanding the kingdom, and chasing after God’s heart. King David is an inspiration to us even today.

Our foster children sometimes may not look like much, but they do have heart.  The trauma in their lives may have hidden it deep to protect it, but once uncovered it can be beautiful and inspirational to all those that have the pleasure to bear witness to these beautiful souls. 

Those who take the time and do the hard work to help uncover the hearts of these precious children are the ones that make up the positive statistics for foster care.  They gifted us with inspirational people like Andrew Jackson, Gerald Ford, Herbert Hoover, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Eleonore Roosevelt, Nancy Reagan, Malcom X, J.R.R. Tolkien, Edgar Allan Poe, Bach, Ray Charles, John Lennon, Willie Nelson, Cher, Faith Hill, Steve Jobs, Dave Thomas, Babe Ruth, and Eddie Murphy among many more.

Are you one of those with the passion and faith to do the difficult labor? As Christ said, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few” (Luke 10:2). 


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